Fifteen
by LoriHuCalmia
Summary: Plot device sends Blaine back to season 1. Aside from enjoying actually being taller than Kurt for once, he just wants to wrap bb!Kurt up and shield him from all of the future crap he knows he's going to go through. Almost all songs by Taylor Swift.
1. Stay Beautiful

_Written for two prompts on the glee kink meme, infused with another from the glee angst meme (because I don't write anything but angst, and I will never write a PWP). There's no smut in this chapter, but there will be in some later chapters, once I figure out how to write it without sounding like I've never had sex with a male before, which is kind of true, but still._

_This is not part of the L-verse. Yes, Blaine's parents are named Lola and Cailean, just like his parents were in Love211, but I don't see the point in changing their names just because it's a different story. With that in mind, this is an AU that completely disregards the L-verse in every sense except Blaine's parents are still assholes._

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, including the format (which is supposed to be Twilight Zone-like, if you couldn't tell). I don't own Kurt, Blaine, or Glee. I made up Lola and Cailean Anderson in my L-verse series, and I've kept the names because I'm too lazy to look up more names, but really, I don't feel like owning them either._

* * *

><p>Chapter I: Stay Beautiful<p>

Kurt Hummel was thisclose to accepting that daily physical bullying would basically be part of his life now. But he hadn't expected for about five of them to corner him into the dumpsters in the first day. Still, all he could do was throw out a clever one-liner none of them would understand and hope that someone would come along and save him.

"Hey!"

Well, what do you know? There might be a God after all.

* * *

><p>Blaine Anderson was thisclose to accepting that Kurt had been badly bullied his entire life. But he hadn't expected to wake up on a couch at five in the morning by his mother throwing up on him and his father demanding that the mess be cleaned up by the woman too hungover to move. Still, all he could do was fantasize about hitting back as he made breakfast that no one would appreciate.<p>

When he set down the bowls with shaking hands, he noticed the newspaper his father held. It was dated September 1st, 2009.

He had gone back in time to almost two years ago, it seemed.

"So, Blaine, have you given any thought as to which school you're going to this year?" his mother asked. She was sober for once, and for this he was grateful.

"Yes," he said, nodding emphatically. Quietly, he bid Wes and Thad and David and Nick and Jeff goodbye in his heart. "I want to go to McKinley High School."

"You want to go back to public school?" she seemed concerned, and Blaine realized she felt guilty for having been so drunk this morning. "Blaine, are you sure? You've only just recovered from Sadie Hawkins."

Sadie Hawkins. He remembered he had skipped the rest of freshman year to complete physical therapy. It felt like a million years ago and yesterday, but Blaine swallowed his fear and nodded. Now, it really was yesterday.

Before he could say anything, Mr. Anderson spoke—or rather, growled—up, "The boy's got to man up sometime, Lola."

Lola shrugged weakly and left the table with her bowl of spaghetti. She had spent last night huddled in the bathtub, probably, since it was the last place Cailean Anderson was likely to look.

"I'll go pack," Blaine said, grabbing his backpack and an outfit. This was his chance to do it right. Every way he had hurt Kurt in the past—ignoring his crush, giving him terrible advice, saying he wasn't sexy, the list went on and on—he had an unexpected chance to undo all of them, and he was going to take full advantage.

The drive to Lima from Westerville was far longer than he remembered, or perhaps he was just more impatient. He knew he had finally found McKinley when, upon arriving an hour early, he spotted a boy outside the window dressed in fashion two years too late. Or perfectly up-to-date, if his father hadn't been so drunk he picked up a two-year-old paper.

He hadn't picked up a two-year-old paper. Blaine slammed the car door shut and walked toward the bullies knowing full well he was about to get in trouble.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Leave him alone!"

* * *

><p>Okay, so maybe there wasn't a God, but there was an incredibly cute boy helping him wipe yesterday's avocado off his face.<p>

"Blaine," he said with that oh-so-charming smile that made Kurt's knees knock against each other.

"K-K-Kurt," oh great, now he sounded like Tina. And this boy probably wasn't even gay. And even if he was, what were the chances he would reciprocate? Actually, probably pretty high, given that there were no other out boys in Lima. Then again, he wasn't exactly out either.

"I'm new here," Blaine confessed, blushing. Oh, sweet Gaga, even his blushes were charming. _What is wrong with you? You're acting like a besotted schoolboy!_

Although, in all fairness, that was exactly what he was.

"Oh," was all Kurt could manage to say.

"So, um, I heard there was a Glee Club here," Blaine said.

Kurt smiled (what he hoped was) a seductive smile and nodded. "Are you thinking of trying out?" he asked flirtatiously, striking a suave pose against the sink that became decidedly less suave once he slipped and slid to the floor.

Blaine laughed, not cruelly, and offered a hand to help him up that Kurt gratefully took. "Yeah," he spoke as if were forbidden.

"What are you planning to sing?" Kurt asked.

Blaine thought reflectively on how Kurt had treated him before, when the paler boy still had a crush on him. It was definitely more restrained than how this Kurt was treating him now.

_Karofsky hasn't kissed him yet_, Blaine realized. _I can be the first, undo my earlier mistakes_. He shuddered as he thought about Rachel-gate and Jeremiah-gate. _None of that, Blaine, not anymore._

"I was thinking we should do a duet," Blaine said. He was thisclose to suggesting "Candles," but remembered at the last second that this was not 2010. '"Just Dance,' by Lady Gaga."

Kurt looked like he was going to fall to the floor again. Blaine led them both out of the bathroom with their fingers interlocked.

One cherry-flavored slushie later, they were both back in the bathroom again, wringing red out of their clothing.

* * *

><p>"I hope we get in," Kurt said nervously. Blaine had been feigning nervousness as well, before realizing that Kurt needed someone to help calm him down, not work him up.<p>

"We will," Blaine said confidently. "You sang beautifully, Kurt."

Kurt smiled and hugged Blaine tightly. "Thank you," he said with a huge smile. "I was just feeding off of your energy."

Blaine was thisclose to coming in his pants, and only managed a half-coherent "Guh" before the door opened and Will Schuester gave out the names of everyone who had made it into Glee Club.

It seemed a nicer way of saying it than "Will Schuester typed up the names of everyone who had put their name down on the audition list."

"Well, would you look at that," Blaine smiled at Kurt. "We made it in," he whispered in Kurt's ear.

Kurt turned to him nervously and bit his bottom lip in that oh-so-charming way that made Blaine's knees knock against each other. "Yeah, we did."

"Do you want to get some celebratory coffee?" Blaine asked suddenly.

Kurt blinked. "What?" Oh, sweet Perry, even his blinks were charming. _What is wrong with you? You're acting like a besotted schoolboy!_

Although, in all fairness, that was exactly what he was.

"Coffee?" was all Blaine could manage to say.

"Sure!" Kurt piped up enthusiastically.

* * *

><p>When they did get to the Lima Bean, however, Blaine made his second close-call of the day.<p>

"I'll have a medium drip, Kurt will have," Blaine forced himself not to answer. He turned to Kurt instead, with an incredibly nervous smile that Kurt didn't understand as he trounced forward to order while Blaine wiped the sweat off his brow. Disaster averted. Now, if he could only avert the ones that were sure to crop up later….

* * *

><p>Blaine seemed to like everything he liked: Vogue, Patti LuPone. He had even compared one of the Cheerios who had slushied him to Eve Harrington, if Eve Harrington had been Latina. If Kurt hadn't loved him before, he definitely did now.<p>

"But listen to me talk about me!" Blaine exclaimed. "What about you? What do you like?"

Kurt nearly choked on his coffee. "Exactly the same things as you!" he squeaked before pressing a napkin daintily to his lips. Dear Gaga, had his voice always been this high? Did Blaine like that? He made a not to consciously lower his voice whens speaking to Blaine. "It's nice to have someone to talk to," he batted his eyelashes before cursing his idiocy and backing off.

"I like your voice," Blaine said, winking. "Don't change it on my account."

Yeah, Kurt Hummel was definitely in love.

* * *

><p>Okay, so maybe Blaine was only mildly interested in the things Kurt liked. Still, from what Kurt had told Blaine a few weeks ago (or two years later) he had been so starved for love that he fell for the least unpleasant bully at his school. And if bringing up a few topics he knew Kurt was crazy about made him a bad boyfriend, well, at least he could be one, for Kurt.<p>

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Kurt asked.

"Sure," Blaine said, heart thumping.

"Are you gay?"

Blaine blushed and nearly choked on his coffee.

"Sorry," Kurt reddened to the tips of his ears. "I shouldn't have asked. Stupid question. Ignore it."

"I am," Blaine said with an affectionate smile.

Kurt smiled and looked like he was trying not to look as pleased as he did. Then his smile faded. "How did you tell your father?"

Blaine's smile faded too. "I didn't," he confessed. "At the Sadie Hawkins dance last year, the boy I went with and I met a few jocks outside the dance floor, and, um, they beat the crap out of us."

Kurt gasped.

"I went with a boy, and it was pretty obvious what happened," Blaine confessed. "My parents didn't prosecute because…" uh-oh. _Lie, Blaine, lie!_ "The police were hostile."

Kurt nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"It's okay," Blaine smiled. "It led to me getting coffee with a very sexy boy," he winked at Kurt, hoping against hope that he was not being too forward.

"I just don't know how to tell my dad," Kurt sighed.

"Maybe tell your mom first?" Blaine suggested.

Kurt's eyes filled with tears. "My mom died when I was eight," he confessed. "I miss her more than anything."

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Blaine said, putting one hand over both of Kurt's. "I don't know what you're feeling, I can't imagine, but I'm always willing to lend an ear if you want one."

Kurt's smile broke through his tears. "Thanks, Blaine," he smiled back. He leaned back with a flirty smile. "Where have you been all my life?"

"In a cupboard under the stairs."

Kurt laughed, thinking it was a joke. In reality, Blaine often hid wherever he could to escape his father's wrath and his mother's ignorance. The stairs provided some of the best shelter before his father had cottoned on to it, but Kurt's laughter was adorable, so Blaine let it slide. He considered Kurt for a long time. "Come to my house tonight," he said suddenly. He knew his mother would be passed-out drunk by now and his father would be at work until late at night.

"Um, why?" Kurt asked.

"I want to show you my guitar," Blaine turned on the charm, and it worked wonders. Kurt followed Blaine on the bus. When they got to Blaine's house, he led them up to his room—carefully passing over the prone woman on the couch—took out his guitar, and started to sing a love ballad he had been working on.

_"Kurt's blue eyes are like a jungle; he smiles, it's like the radio._  
><em>He whispers songs into my window in words nobody knows.<em>  
><em>There's pretty guys on every corner that watch him as he's walking home.<em>  
><em>Saying, does he know? Will you ever know?"<em>

Blaine met Kurt's shocked, flattered, and blushing face and smiled encouragingly. Kurt looked away, embarrassed.

_"You're beautiful, every little piece, love. Don't you know?_  
><em>You're really gonna be someone. Ask anyone.<em>  
><em>When you find everything you looked for. I hope your life<em>  
><em>Leads you back to my front door. Oh, but if it don't<em>  
><em>Stay beautiful."<em>

This time, when Blaine looked up at Kurt, the paler boy met his eyes.

_"Kurt will find another way to be the highlight of my day._  
><em>I'm taking pictures in my mind so I can save them for a rainy day.<em>  
><em>It's hard to make conversation when he's taking my breath away.<em>  
><em>I should say, hey, by the way…."<em>

When Blaine started singing the chorus again, Kurt joined him quietly. Then Blaine grew nervous, and Kurt was mesmerized by the sincerity and seriousness of his tone.

_"If you and I are a story that never gets told._  
><em>If what you are is a daydream I'll never get to hold,<em>  
><em>At least you'll know."<em>

When they got to the last verse, Kurt sang alone and Blaine simply strummed the guitar. When the song stopped, their eyes met. It was a scene straight out of a cheesy 80's movie when their faces slowly, steadily leaned closer until their lips touched.

"So, you'll be my boyfriend?" Blaine asked hopefully with a goofy grin on his face.

"Of course!" Kurt was over the moon.

Blaine gave a relieved chuckle, and then made a fatal misstep. "Great. Sure beats your stepbrother, huh?"

Kurt blinked at him. "What?"

"Oh, uh, I thought that football player was your stepbrother," Blaine covered quickly. "He looked like he didn't want to throw us in the dumpster."

Kurt looked contemplative. "His father died in the Army, I heard." His face lit up, as if a brilliant idea had struck him. "I know! I'll introduce his mom to my dad! Dad's lonely, and he could use some more help in the garage. Besides, it might encourage Finn to get off my back." He hopped to his feet. "I should go," he said balefully.

Blaine nodded and took his hand. They walked to the bus stopped and made small talk until the automobile arrived. Both stood and looked at each other awkwardly.

"You sure you have enough money to get home?" Blaine asked worriedly, pulling out his wallet.

"Don't," Kurt stopped his hand. "You already paid for coffee."

Blaine chuckled, put his wallet away, and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you later," he half-stated, half-prayed.

"Sure," Kurt nodded vigorously. They let go of each other's hands and he walked backwards up the bus. Once he sat (at a window seat) he waved until he could no longer see the polite boy.

Blaine didn't stop waving until he could no longer see the bus. When he turned around, he saw his father's SUV pull up into the driveway and gulped. Even as he ran home, knowing it was too late, he hoped that his father wouldn't be angry.

Those hopes were quickly shattered.

* * *

><p>People are thisclose to accepting that miracles don't exist. But they don't expect that it takes less than five words to change that. Blaine Anderson wasn't anyone special. Kurt Hummel wasn't anyone special. But what they did for each other was extraordinarily special. And so the universe decided to grant them one of their most fundamental wishes: the wish to not be alone. The wish to have someone remind them that they are beautiful and plead for them to stay that way.<p>

* * *

><p><em>I know that no school district in the U.S. would ever accept a transferring child the day before school starts, but if Figgins can hire Terri as the school nurse with no medical qualifications, he can accept a transferring child the day before school starts. Besides, "where the hell are all the teachers?"<em>

_Relax, the two people who seem to be reading Let Me Tell You a Story. I'm not abandoning it and will update later today. I'm stretching myself here writing two stories, but -whew- let me see if I can._


	2. Tied Together With a Smile

_Okay, you guys are amazing. Seriously, SEVEN reviews last chapter (technically eight, but two were from the same person)! I can't even BEGIN to describe how amazed I am! Oh dear, feeling the pressure now._

_Okay, in this chapter you get a pretty big clue about what's going on. At least, Whovians will. There's still no smut (dodges bullet) but there will be later, if I can figure out how to write it. We get more Blaine angst (Blangst?) and a few familiar characters make appearances. I do reference the L-verse in this, but all WILL be explained and you don't have to go through four different stories._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Tied Together With a Smile" (although I can totally nail it on karaoke nights) or the character of Doctor Who._

* * *

><p>Chapter II: Tied Together With a Smile<p>

Kurt abandoned his plan to get into Finn Hudson's pants. After all, who needed a boy who threw him into dumpsters and slushied him, even if he did it less than the other boys? He much preferred the boy who helped him **out **of the dumpster, who helped clean him up **after** the slushies even though he had been slushied himself. And he sang, too. What a surprise.

Really, if anything, Kurt was afraid this was all some sort of dream. Had he died or gone insane inside that dumpster and started hallucinating in heaven? How else could this boy, so perfect it was like the universe designed Blaine **just for him**, appear in his life?

Kurt shook those thoughts out of his head. There was no way he could have dreamt up those ridiculous triangular caterpillars over Blaine's eyes, and if he were in heaven, Blaine would look better. So he started his moisturizing routine without further thought. Tomorrow, he was going to convince Blaine to start plucking. After all, if Kurt could trim his eyebrows perfectly, Blaine could certainly do the same. He smiled at his reflection. It looked like it was full speed ahead for Operation Un-Dapper Blaine…

Wait, what was Blaine's last name?

Kurt put down his moisturizing pad. He knew that Blaine liked Patti LuPone and Vogue and Alexander McQueen and coffee, but he didn't know Blaine. What was his family like? Was he out to them? Kurt had felt comfortable enough in the taller gay boy's presence to out himself for the first time, so perhaps Blaine had picked that up from his family? And what was Blaine's old school like? He had transferred in as a freshman, but what was his middle school like? And why did he seem so nervous, yet so wise, able to predict Kurt's snarky comments about the barista's haircuts and the patrons' outfits the moment he thought them up?

There was something off about Blaine, and Kurt was going to find out what it was. Screw Operation Un-Dapper Blaine. It was time to enact Operation Find Out Who Blaine Was.

* * *

><p>Blaine wanted to kick himself. The stupid comment about Kurt's crush on Finn could have undone everything. There wasn't much to undo, but still. He had to get a grip and make sure he could do this right. Kurt deserved it done right, and he deserved the chance to undo some of his mistakes.<p>

Wes and Thad and David and Nick and Jeff…they weren't mistakes. He still wanted to meet them. But he wanted to be with Kurt, and if that meant giving up all his friends, well, so be it. Besides, they were nice boys, too nice to be dragged into the soul-sucking maelstrom that was his life. Blaine knew how bad it had gotten the week before he had woken up two years…

Wait, that couldn't be right! Blaine closed his eyes but still couldn't recall anything of that last day. He knew he had gone to bed on Sunday and not been surprised to wake up on Monday, but there was no reason he shouldn't be able to remember Sunday night. Trying to calm himself down by breathing deeply, he relaxed and probed his memory.

_Climbing up stairs even though every step hurt…shaking hands buttoning up pajamas to cover up up fist- and boot-sized bruises and a cut across one of his ribs, thick as the gem on the class ring his father wore.…relief that his father was not home._

Blaine sat on his bed, wondering why the cut wasn't there anymore. He touched all around his (too-prominent) ribcage and froze for a second. There were so many cuts, so many broken ribs and so, so much blood seeping past his fingers. Then a second later, they were gone.

Waking up, Blaine felt extremely disoriented. He didn't know when he was. It was his bedroom, and it was night, but he couldn't remember going to sleep. He didn't remember what he had been doing. Instead of trying to remember, he opened his window as quietly as he could and stuck his head out to breathe some fresh air. He could see a neighbor's lemon tree, the one cut down in 2010, and was relieved and slightly confused that he was still in 2009. He was still in the past. He could still save his own life.

Where had that thought come from? Blaine blinked rapidly and decided that he had had enough cold air for one evening. He slid the window shut and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for letting me take my jacket off first," Kurt said, nodding to Puck, who threw it over his shoulder. Oh well, at least he didn't pee on it, spit on it, or stomp on it. Kurt turned to the rest of the jocks. "One day you will all work for me!" he declared proudly.<p>

Blaine caught the jacket deftly and started walking toward the Neanderthals, but it was too late and the thump of Puck throwing Kurt into the dumpster made him wince. Then he ran over the rim and extended his hand.

"Need some help?" Blaine asked. Kurt smiled and let the taller boy hoist him up and over the side of the dumpster. He didn't see Blaine turn back and do a double take when the woman wasn't there anymore. Instead, he launched directly into a tirade about Will's song choices.

"Chic's 'Le Freak,' Mr. Schue? Come on! The audience is going to throw fruit at us," Kurt complained, "and I just had a facial."

Blaine snorted and they walked into the choir room, where Rachel Berry was launching into a "passionate debate" with Will, who appeared to be refusing to let the club do "Push It." Blaine made a mental note to record it so he could show baby-penguin Kurt just how un…

But there was no baby penguin, Blaine remembered with a jolt. The foam part with Crawford County Day hadn't happened, and would never happen because Blaine was not going to let Karofsky harass Kurt into transferring anywhere, so Sue would have no reason to advise Dalton Academy to act sexy. _Too bad, I think "Animal" is sexy._

"Animal" didn't exist yet. Wow, was he ever behind the times. Or ahead of them. Blaine decided to sit down before the implications of suggesting songs that had yet to be released could invade the rest of his frazzled brain cells.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked, looking curious.

"Yes," Blaine reached for Kurt's hand, but the boy took his away and darted his eyes furtively around the hallway, relaxing only when he was assured that no one had seen what had just transpired. "What's wrong? Don't you want to hold my hand? If we're going to be-"

Kurt pulled Blaine into an empty janitor's closet before the tanned boy realized what was wrong.

"Kurt, are you not out?" he asked, upset. "If you want me to tone it down, I understand."

"Stop," Kurt hissed. "Look, I barely know you. How can I go out with you?"

"Well, what do you want to know in the," Blaine checked his watch, "three minutes and twenty-five seconds we have before Glee starts?"

"What's your last name?"

"Anderson."

"How old are you?"

"Seven-fifteen." Blaine chuckled nervously. That could've been bad

"What's your favorite color?"

"It used to be grass green," Blaine blushed. "I can't believe I ever liked any color besides crystal blue," he admitted.

Now it was Kurt's turn to blush. Blaine took advantage of his momentary softness to pull him outside. Once they got outside, however, Kurt forced Blaine to let go of his hand and a second epiphany smacked Blaine across the face.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" Blaine asked quietly, leaning in experimentally. As he suspected, Kurt nearly flew across the room in an effort to get away from him. "Okay, what's going on?" he demanded. Kurt looked a little bit ashamed. "Look, Blaine, I'm not out. Not to anyone."

"Then you're going to look strange hanging out with me, aren't you?" Blaine didn't know why he was acting so mean. He just didn't have the composure to be nice right now.

"What does that mean?" Kurt looked like he was about to cry.

"Nothing," Blaine shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said lamely, "but if you don't think people know that you're gay, you're mistaken." He looked significantly at Tina and Rachel before noticing that there was another, tall Asian boy looking at them as well.

Mike. As soon as Blaine turned to the muscular dancer, he turned to stare at Blaine with an expression the dapper not-dancer was sure didn't belong on a human face. He felt inexplicably uneasy. There was something about Mike that suggested the boy had a secret.

* * *

><p>"You slapped my butt!" Blaine exclaimed in dismay. Kurt had convinced his father that Blaine was his French tutor. Blaine was taking Spanish.<p>

"So what?" Kurt blinked innocently.

Blaine tried to suppress a growl, and sounded like he had a hairball. When Kurt started looking concerned, Blaine cleared his throat. "Kurt, you might think you're hiding true self, but really, I'm pretty sure everyone knows you're gay. I mean, you groped me in public today!"

Kurt sat back on his bed and sulked, but eventually sat up and gazed at Blaine with mournful eyes. "I've never had a boyfriend before, and I don't know how to tell my dad."

Blaine smiled. "Just tell him. You might be surprised."

Kurt regarded Blaine with more admiration. "Is that how you did it?"

Blaine laughed, hoping the note of nervousness didn't appear too obvious. "It probably wasn't a good idea, considering that it was completely out of the blue. I didn't prepare him for anything."

Kurt nodded sagely. "So, how should I prepare my dad?"

"Well," Blaine gestured to his clothes, "I think that's preparation enough."

Instead of looking proud of his collection, Kurt looked like he was going to cry. "I'm afraid," he admitted, hiding his face in his hands. Blaine stared helplessly, unsure whether this less subdued but more restrained Kurt would be happy or insulted if Blaine offered comfort. When he saw Kurt's shoulders begin to shake, he couldn't keep himself from sitting down next to Kurt and wrapping his arms around the pale boy.

"It'll be fine," he whispered. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It'll be fine."

Kurt took his hands off his face to meet Blaine's eyes for a second. The vulnerable, anxious look on his face broke Blaine's heart. "Really?" Kurt murmured, needing the reassurance.

"Really," Blaine said with all the conviction he had in his heart. His coming out may have been a disaster, but Kurt's didn't have to be. And if memory served, it wasn't. The Kurt two years later had looked back on this day and said…

Blaine was no longer sure what Kurt had said, but he was sure Kurt hadn't thanked him for being there for him when he came out. Blaine felt the stirrings of panic in his stomach. If his memory of the past/future was changing, what did that mean? And why were his yet-nonexistent memories of Sunday night still so elusive?

_Glass shone everywhere…a knife gleamed under fluorescent lighting…insults being screamed…he was pleading, begging for…_

"So, what do you think?" Kurt asked.

"Huh?" Blaine blinked the momentary flash of memory away.

Kurt huffed. "The outfit I'm modeling for you," he said snippily, "do you like it?"

"Oh," Blaine turned on the charm in his goofy grin and Kurt looked like he was about to melt into the floor. "It's great. I love the Cluny lace on the sleeves."

Kurt gave him such a lovestruck look that Blaine had to blush. "Which virgin did I sacrifice to deserve a boyfriend who understands fashion?" he asked rhetorically.

Blaine snickered and the boys ended up collapsing on Kurt's bed, giggling uncontrollably. Blaine wondered if he had had this much fun the last time he lived through today. His giggles subsided as he realized he didn't remember.

His old memories were being replaced with new ones.

"Blaine, are you okay?" Kurt asked, concern tingeing his voice. He must have seen the expression on Blaine's face, which was quickly twisted into a more relaxing one.

"I'm fine, Kurt. I just remembered that I have to pick up some things for my mom at the store," he lied, standing. "It was nice being here. I hope you French test goes well," he used their euphemism for coming out. "Can I borrow a piece of paper?"

Kurt gave him one wordlessly and excused himself to use the bathroom. Blaine quickly wrote down what he remembered himself doing tomorrow. That was the day his father had found Blaine's 96% World History test hidden under his desk and decided to teach him a lesson with steel-toed boots. Blaine folded up the paper and, hearing the toilet flush, jotted down some random things he knew general stores sold.

"Condoms?" Kurt's voice startled Blaine into dropping the pencil.

Blaine decided to play with Kurt a little. "I figured, I should come prepared next time."

Kurt laughed, but the way he moved his hips suggestively as he walked Blaine out left no doubt as to his intentions.

"Good night, Kurt," Blaine said as he unlocked and opened his car door.

"Good night, Blaine," Kurt replied before closing the door.

"You know you're not supposed to drive without adult supervision until you've gotten your driver's license, right?" asked a blonde boy in the backseat.

Blaine slammed on the brakes just before he would have knocked over some poor person's mailbox. "Sam?" he whirled around. "How did you get in my car? Aren't you supposed to be at Dalton?"

Sam leaned forward. "I asked the Doctor for a favor, and he agreed, even though just getting to see him was a favor to your mother."

"My mother?" Blaine was confused. "What doctor?"

Sam shook his head enigmatically. "You'll see," he said mysteriously.

Blaine tried to stuff his fist in his mouth to keep from cursing at Sam. Once he got his anger under control, he turned to face Sam again, only Sam was gone, even though he hadn't heard the door open. Blaine blinked in surprise. What was going on?

* * *

><p>The next day, while everyone else was focused on the list of "appropriate songs," Blaine took out his piece of paper.<p>

It was blanket, except "and lube" had been written in extremely curly handwriting after "condoms." Blaine shook his head and sighed. He wanted to curl up into a ball of failure, except his father had found his 96% World History test hidden under his desk and decided to fully utilize his new steel-toed boots. He was coming apart at the seams, it was obvious. The only thing that comforted him was Kurt's song that day.

"_Seems the only one who doesn't see your beauty is the face in the mirror looking back at you.  
>You walk around here thinking you're not pretty, but that's not true, 'cause I know you.<br>Hold on, baby, you're losing it. The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go, and no one knows.  
>You cry, but you don't tell anyone that you might not be the golden one.<br>And you're tied together with a smile, but you're coming undone.  
>I guess it's true that love was all you wanted, 'cause you're giving it away like it's extra change.<br>Hoping it will end up in his pocket, but he leaves you out like a penny in the rain.  
>Oh, 'cause it's not his price to pay. It's not his price to pay.<br>Hold on, baby, you're losing it. The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go, and no one knows.  
>You cry, but you don't tell anyone that you might not be the golden one.<br>And you're tied together with a smile, but you're coming undone.  
>You're tied together with a smile, but you're coming undone. Oh.<br>Goodbye, baby. Goodbye, baby. With a smile, baby, baby. Oh."_

On second thought, it really wasn't that comforting.

* * *

><p><em>Yup, alternate universe time! (I can't believe I'm writing an AU to my own stories.)<em>

_Each chapter is going to reference an episode up until Blaine gets to the same point where he was before he went back (so the end of Season Two). There should be 44 chapters in all, but you know how good I am at estimating story length. We'll see; if the response to this is good enough, I'll consider writing Season Three, and if the response is underwhelming, I'll end it at the end of Season One._

_Want this to continue? There's a link that says "Review!"_


	3. I'm Only Me When I'm With You

_Six effing reviews last time, guys! I can't believe it! (Jumps up and down in joy)._

_I'm sorry that at least one of you is going to be getting this around midnight, because I thought I saved it, but then it turns out I didn't, so I had to type the second half of the chapter out by memory. One of these days, I'll start writing it on paper before I type it out on a computer. Until then, read this._

_Okay,I don't know who was washing their car behind Kurt's Navigator, but I'm assuming it was a Cheerio because all those cheerleaders had to have come out of __**some**__where. I didn't want to use Brittany because it would undermine Kurt's "I'm gay" confession and Quinn was going out with Finn, so that left Santana as the only Cheerio we're familiar with._

_I haven't really been specific with this, so I'm going to say that the first chapter took place during the first episode of Glee ("Pilot"), the second chapter took place during the second episode ("Showmance"), and this one takes place during the third episode ("Acafellas") of the first season. The mystery will be revealed in due time, don't worry if it's confusing right now (Blaine is equally confused). You've already been introduced to two of the major players, and here you're introduced to yet another one._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "I'm Only Me When I'm With You," which I tweaked a little bit so it could fit with the characters singing it. I also don't mean to insult Brittany, but the line she says about monkeys...well, I had a Geometry substitute with a really thick accent that made everything she said sound like "Go pee on a monkey." I'm not making fun of people with accents (my Texan one is **very** strong), but it was absolutely hilarious and I wanted to include it._

* * *

><p>Chapter III: I'm Only Me When I'm With You<p>

"You don't have to ask my permission every time you want to go to the bathroom," said Will in the middle of another incredibly boring choreography session.

"It's not my bladder," said Rachel. "It's the choreography."

Suddenly, the incredibly boring choreography session stopped and Will turned around. "Okay," he said, wrinkling his nose and drawing out the first syllable, "what's wrong with the choreography."

"It sucks." _Rachel sounds a lot like Quinn today_, Blaine noted. "It's completely unoriginal," she looked at Quinn, Santana, and Brittany as she spoke. "We can't compete with Vocal Adrenaline with these steps. You're a great vocal coach, but you're not a trained choreographer, and that's what we need to be the best."

Blaine wondered why he had never noticed that Rachel's balls were twice the size of his own. He never could get the courage to stand up to people of authority.

"We need Dakota Stanley," Rachel continued. "He was the understudy to the candelabra in 'Beauty and the Beast,'" she turned to inform her less enlightened peers, which immediately made their eyes glaze over more than they already were and caused them to miss the rest of Rachel and Will's pissing contest until Quinn ended it.

"Did **you** ever perform, Mr. Shue?" she asked with less condescension than was in Rachel's voice daily, but with far more cruelty. "After high school, did you even try?"

"I wanted to," even Will seemed to wilt under Quinn's you-will-try-and-fail-to-measure-up-to-my-standards glare. Everyone in the room felt his discomfort, and Blaine noticed Kurt whispering with Mercedes out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what they were talking about, but didn't get the chance to ask before the bell rang and he had to run to his class all the way across campus.

* * *

><p>"Mercedes and I are going shopping today after school," Kurt said, breathless. He looked like he had run across the school to find Blaine at his locker, which he should have since it was exactly what he had done. "Do you want to come?"<p>

"No, sorry," Blaine winced at the sad look on Kurt's face. "I have a lot of math homework today." Actually, he didn't, not compared to what he would have had to do in Dalton, but he did want to clean up his room if he got the chance, so his father wouldn't find the once-again-less-than-100% test he got from Spanish.

"Oh, that's alright," Kurt said. "You have Gold for Geometry. He really keeps you busy, huh?"

"I swear, that man does **not **know how to teach," Blaine shoved his textbooks in his bag with unnecessary force. "All he ever talks about is his airplane. Although, it's pretty cool that a teacher's trying to build his own airplane." Blaine smiled and closed his locker. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

Kurt blushed and ducked his head. "Of course you will."

* * *

><p>"He's not coming," Rachel said the next day in the rehearsal room.<p>

"What happened?" Finn asked.

"I tried to apologize with my famous sugar cookies for my earlier derogatory comments regarding his lack of dancing abilities," she began, "but he was dismissive and said he wanted to focus on the boy band he recently started called the Testostertones…or something."

"Of course he doesn't want anything to do with us after you kicked him in the nads!" Finn yelled.

Kurt sniffed. How had he ever found this bundle of unexpected rage attractive?

Luckily, Santana cut in before Kurt could make a sharp comment and throw fuel in the fire. "The goal is to win," she said, determined. "Mr. Schuester's absence gives us an excuse to steal Dakota Stanley from Vocal Adrenaline."

"But he doesn't want us to!" Finn protested. "He just doesn't have the confidence to coach us anymore, because Rachel destroyed him!"

Quinn stood up with her hand raised. "Those in favor of the best show choir choreographer in the Midwest, raise your hand."

"Those not in favor, urinate on a monkey," said Brittany, twisting her hair with the hand not currently ready to take her skirt off. Santana put the hand she didn't have raised on Brittany's hand and stopped her, whispering something nobody wanted to hear.

Slowly, everyone but Finn raised their hands.

* * *

><p>When Blaine found Kurt, he was standing next to a girl spying on popular couples among the lockers with no small amount of jealousy. "Have you ever kissed anyone?" she asked Kurt.<p>

Kurt handed Blaine a mirror and took out a bottle of hairspray. "Yes," he said, spraying, "if by 'someone,' you mean 'the tender crook of my elbow.'" Blaine chuckled, but Mercedes didn't, and Kurt turned. "I have, but it was very…restrained," he said wistfully.

"Look, we're in Glee Club," Blaine said. "We're basement-dwelling vermin as far as the rest of the school is concerned. Special Ed kids will get more play. But we're far superior to them, no matter what they might say now."

Mercedes didn't respond, so Kurt changed the subject. "What do you plan to wear on the Operation Dakota Staley field trip?"

"There's a dress code?"

Kurt snorted, but smiled at the girl. "We'll hit the mall after class. Every moment of your life is an opportunity for fashion." He and Blaine walked away together.

"Be careful," Blaine whispered, "or that poor girl is going to think she has a chance with you."

"Oh, don't be silly," Kurt whispered back.

"Who's Josh Groban?" made them stop just outside the teachers' lounge. "KILL YOURSELF!" made them run away as fast as they could, "He is an angel sent from heaven to deliver platinum records unto us, and if he were here right now, I'd club you to death with his Critics' Choice Award!" still ringing in their ears, laughing like crazy.

* * *

><p>"Damn, Kurt, this car is fly," Mercedes said admiringly as she, Tina, Rachel, Quinn, Blaine, Brittany, Santana, and Kurt himself exited said Navigator.<p>

"My dad got it for my sweet sixteen after I swore to stop wearing form-fitting sweaters that stop at the knee," Kurt said proudly.

Blaine coughed and looked at the crimson form-fitting sweater that stopped at Kurt's knees.

"What he doesn't know doesn't hurt him," Kurt said, unfazed. In retaliation for Blaine calling him out on his forbidden fashion choices, he chose to link arms with Mercedes instead of Blaine, who looked at Rachel and Tina worriedly as Quinn and her Quinions shot Mercedes you-go-girl smiles. Before Blaine could call them out on it, Rachel pointed with far too much giddy excitement at a girl throwing up into a garbage can.

"Andrea Cohen!" she shrieked. "She won Outstanding Soloist last year at Absolutely Tampastic!"

"Is that a tampon manufacturing plant?" Brittany asked.

No one answered her question, in part because a girl with a neck brace, currently holding back Andrea's hair and shaking with terror, was saying, "You can't leave rehearsals for any reason! That includes heat exhaustion and Crohn's disease!"

"We'd like to talk to Dakota Stanley about choreographin for our Glee Club," Rachel interrupted.

"Don't," Andrea heaved. "He's a monster."

That didn't deter Rachel from dragging the rest of the crew in to watch a rendition of "Mercy" that even Blaine felt was cool until someone in the sidelines screamed, "Get off my stage!" Again, Rachel was not deterred from dragging the rest of the crew to him to ask that he coach their glee club. Learning that they were short $8000 (and a $10,000 bonus if they reached the top three at Regionals) later, Quinn came up with a brilliant idea.

* * *

><p>Kurt was having a hard time believing—or taking his eyes off of—the way Blaine's wet shirt revealed his toned body. Finn was squirting Blaine with a hose, congratulating him on having made the football team—a revelation that made Kurt's eyebrows disappear into his bangs—and Blaine waved and walked over to the Kurt's Navigator, which he and Mercedes were currently washing with sponges.<p>

"Your rims are clean," Mercedes growled as she straightened. Kurt was too busy not caring that Blaine looked good enough to eat and not wanting to do just that to pay much attention. Blaine smiled and walked to the rear of the car, leaving Kurt with Mercedes.

"Did you bring a change of clothes," Kurt asked as if he hadn't heard her, "because we're going straight to the Sing-Along 'Sound of Music?'"

"You know," Mercedes said shyly, "this will be our third time going out, so don't you think we should tell people?" she was totally not glaring at Tina and Rachel.

"Tell people what?" Kurt asked.

Mercedes gave a flirtatious giggle that Kurt only found mildly annoying. "That we're dating," she said like it was obvious. Kurt nearly had a heart attack (at the very least, he gagged) and the squelch of a wet sponge being picked up off an equally wet pavement made it obvious that Blaine had the same reaction. His hazel eyes were wide with surprise and a little bit of consolation.

"I thought I made it clear," Kurt said, looking into those intoxicating eyes. "I'm in love with someone else," he said still focused on Blaine on his right.

Mercedes turned to the right as well, but she saw someone else entirely. "Santana!" she drew Kurt's gaze to her furious face, and all his courage left him.

"Um, yes, for quite some time now," he lied hastily.

_CRASH!_

It was now Kurt's turn to drop his sponge. "You busted my window!" he shrilled.

"Well you busted my **heart**," Mercedes replied. "Hmph!" she threw her sponge on the ground and walked away.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for helping me replace the window," Kurt said miserably.<p>

"No problem," Blaine said, handing Kurt back the glue. "I know how it feels the first time you destroy your car."

"Really?" Kurt asked. "How did it happen?"

Blaine was all ready to discuss what had happened on September 16th, 2009, the first time around, but he found that he didn't know how. "I don't remember, really," Blaine said, blushing. "Can we talk about something else?"

Kurt's expression was a clear no. Fortunately, Blaine was saved from interrogation when Kurt's phone rang. The boy's face went from pale white to just plain white, and Blaine could hear a man's gruff voice on the other side of the line buzzing out something about "tiaras" and a "hope chest." Finally, Kurt snapped his phone shut and gripped it so hard, Blaine feared he would crush it.

"Is everything alright?" Blaine asked, although it was clear that things were not.

"My dad found the tiaras in my hope chest," Kurt sounded mortified as he buried his face in the crook of his sleeve. "He's taking away my Navigator."

"Oh, don't worry, Kurt," Blaine cooed, taking the boy in his arms and relishing in the fact that this Kurt was shorter than he was. "You can take rides in my car. I'd be glad to drive you around."

Kurt looked up happily. "You mean it?"

Blaine nodded, willing to drive around the entire world if it meant that Kurt would smile at him again. Kurt captured him in a flying tackle, burying his face in Blaine's chest, directly where a very, very deep cut should be.

_His father was insulting him again, no big deal…but he was insulting Kurt too, and that just wouldn't do…what on Earth was Mike Chang doing in his house as he was slipping, slipping away?_

Kurt's phone vibrated in his pocket, startling both boys back to the present. Kurt took it out and saw his friend's face.

Oh, right, Mercedes had believed she and Kurt were in puppy love. Yeah, that was a problem. Kurt groaned and buried his face further into Blaine's shoulder, and Blaine rubbed his back soothingly. "It's okay," the taller boy promised, relishing in the fact that Kurt only came up to his nose instead of the other way around.

* * *

><p>And it was. Mercedes walked up to Kurt's locker the next day with a smile. "I'm sorry your dad took away your car," she said by way of apology.<p>

Kurt shrugged. "I've got better transportation," he replied. Right on cue, Blaine walked by and Kurt shot him an adoring smile. Their hands slipped into each other, as if by a magnetic force.

"And I'm happy for you and Santana. She looks really nice, and by going out with her you probably won't get slushied so much," Mercedes said. "I hope you two are happy together."

Kurt sighed as he closed his locker, and Blaine started to withdraw his hand, but Kurt's grip tightened around it. "I don't like Santana, Mercedes," he said quietly. "I'm gay."

Now Mercedes' eyes drifted downward until she saw Blaine and Kurt's intertwined hands and widened. "Are you two…" she began uncertainly.

"We most certainly are," Blaine declared. He and Kurt stared into each other's eyes and kissed. Mercedes covered up a wide smile with her hand, and consequently Rachel and Tina were the ones to warn the boys that Karofsky and Azimio had raspberry slushies in their hands, seconds too late.

"Come on," Mercedes told a sopping wet Blaine. "I'll teach you all of my secrets to getting Red #12 dye out of wool," she said. They walked toward the bathroom amiably. "So," she began, "does this mean I get another shopping buddy, because those pants are at least three seasons late?"

Blaine gasped as if mortally wounded, and Kurt just laughed, and began to sing.

"_Friday night beneath the stars, in a field behind your yard, you and I are painting pictures in the sky.  
>Sometimes we don't say a thing, just listen to the crickets sing. Everything I need is right here by my side."<em>

Perfectly clean, Blaine and Kurt began to sing together.

"_And I know everything about you. I don't want to live without you.  
>I'm only up when you're not down. Don't want to fly if you're still on the ground.<br>It's like, no matter what I do, well, you drive me crazy half the time.  
>The other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.<br>And I'm only me when I'm with you."_

Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina each sang a line without the boys.

"_Just some small town boys and girls, living in a crazy world, trying to figure out what is and isn't true.  
>And I don't try to hide my tears, my secrets or my deepest fears. Through it all nobody gets me like you do.<br>And you know everything about me. You say that you can't live without me."_

The girls sang the second chorus together.

"_I'm only up when you're not down. Don't want to fly if you're still on the ground.  
>It's like, no matter what I do, well, you drive me crazy half the time.<br>The other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.  
>And I'm only me when I'm with you."<em>

The girls quieted down and let Kurt sing the first sentence, followed by Blaine with the second.

"_When I'm with anybody else, it's so hard to be myself. Only you can tell."_

Now everyone sang the chorus, with Mercedes cheering at the end.

"_That I'm only up when you're not down. Don't want to fly if you're still on the ground.  
>It's like, no matter what I do, well, you drive me crazy half the time.<br>The other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.  
>And I'm only me, who I want to be. Well I'm only me when I'm with you.<br>__With you, uh-uh-huh, yeah!"_

When Blaine drove Kurt home that day, they nearly ran over Will's mother and a very, very drunk Josh Groban. Then again, Sandy's victims probably a lot of liquid therapy.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If there are any discrepancies with what I cover and what actually happens in the episode, I make the very feeble excuse that, I don't have the time to watch every episode again and still write two stories at once at the pace that I have set for myself. A near-perfect recall of auditory message only goes so far before my brain decides to take a vacation.<em>

_Thank you, Mia, for arranging the musical number (it works so perfectly if you try to picture the actual actors/actresses singing the lines she has them sing)._

_SilverWhiteDragon gave me a great idea that will definitely be featured later (much, much later). Do you have a suggestion? Are you just here to read? Do you want to flame so I can roast marshmallows? Review!_

_Next time, if you like it then you better put a ring on it._


	4. Fearless Part One

_I can't believe it! One of my short stories was published in an **international** newspaper. It was a prose piece about my great-grandfather's calligraphy, which hangs over my couch at home, and it was published on **THE MOST WIDELY-READ PAPER IN CHINA**!_

_Weirdly enough, one of my old piano teacher's was the first to read it (on the paper's online website). She immediately called my parents and told them. Then my uncle (who's in China) called my dad to say that his nephew had called him because his grandmother had called him to say that she had read my piece in the newspaper. Immediately, my parents started hunting around for a place where we could buy a copy. Unfortunately, the Daily World Star Journal (literal translation) only prints the news and not things like what I wrote in their papers here. So my parents printed out a copy off the website._

_I don't really recommend you guys read it because it's in Mandarin, but still, the fact that I WAS PUBLISHED IN THE MOST POPULAR NEWSPAPER IN CHINA just kind of floors me. And it definitely opens doors for me in the publishers-and-literary-agents department._

_Oh, right, the story. Um, "Preggers" was such a huge episode for Kurt and I got so many requests for porn (I did find this on the glee kink meme) that I decided I'd do this as well as I could and finish up "Preggers" later. Please be gentle with me, guys; this is my second time doing boy/boy smut in my ENTIRE LIFE. In my original work, I only ever write girl/boy, girl/girl, or girl/other sex smut. So this sex scene is kind of pathetic._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Fearless," and since it's going to be used as the title again next time, I'm not going to put a disclaimer next time._

* * *

><p>Chapter IV: Fearless (Part One)<p>

He had not thought his boyfriend could look like that, ever, but he hadn't really ever known Kurt in his pre-Karofsky days, did he?

Right now, dancing with his boyfriend, Brittany, and Tina, he couldn't think of anything sexier or less like a baby penguin than Kurt Hummel. Honestly, the idea that he had once thought Kurt-sexy meant constipation made him want to smack himself.

Suddenly, the music stopped and Blaine made sure to hide behind Brittany because the tight leotard didn't cover his erection very well. Luckily, he wasn't sporting it for very long; Burt Hummel never stopped looking like a bear ready to tear you apart with his bare hands.

"Dad," Kurt seemed equally surprised. "You're home early!"

'"Deadliest Catch' is on," Burt said in response. "So, uh, what the hell is this?" he snapped the material on Kurt's leotard, emphasizing just how tight the material was.

"It's a unitard," Kurt answered reluctantly. "Guys wear them to work out because they wick sweat from the body."

"F-f-f-football," Tina stuttered.

Kurt latched onto Tina's suggestion like a lifeline. "Yeah, all the football players are wearing them," he gestured to Blaine.

"They're all the rage," Blaine nodded like a bobble-head doll, "very jock chic."

"Yeah, Kurt's on the football team," Brittany said, proud she had gotten the gist of the conversation. "He's the kicker. That's the smallest guy on the field, right?" She missed the fact that the rest of group wasn't equally proud with how far she had taken it.

"Football, huh?" Burt's eyes grew faraway. "I played JC football until I crashed my dirt bike," he reminisced. "So, uh, either of these two your girlfriend?" he asked Kurt, eyeing Tina since Blaine was still holding Brittany's shoulders.

Kurt gave a nervous laugh and slapped Tina on the ass. "But I'm not ready to be exclusive just yet," he said quickly as Tina tried to hide her baffled face from Kurt's father.

"Alright, well, keep the music down," Burt said, climbing up the stairs. "Oh, and be sure to get me a ticket to your first game, alright?" he asked.

"Sure," Kurt said, panic so well hidden that Blaine could barely hear it. He wondered if this was when it started, the Repressing of Kurt Hummel. He was so lost in his reverie that he didn't notice Burt leave and Kurt turn to Blaine with desperate eyes.

"I need you to get me a position on the football team," he said, eyes wild and fists tight against Blaine's shoulders.

* * *

><p>Blaine was so deep in thought about what he could do for Kurt that he missed the fact that Rachel had lost a solo to Tina until the girl had already stormed out of the room. He agreed with Artie when he insulted Rachel and joined Mercedes in congratulating Tina. Then he led Kurt to the football field, trying to keep Kurt from seeing the hundred-player pile-up on what seemed to be an obstacle course. Finn and Puck stared at them.<p>

"Thanks for your help," Kurt told Blaine.

"Hey, you don't have to thank me, okay?" Blaine smiled at Kurt and patted his shoulder. "Where are you going?" he asked when Kurt started to walk away.

"I'm getting my music," Kurt said.

"For what?" Blaine asked obliviously.

"I have to rehearse," Kurt struck a diva pose, complete with a hair flip.

"Are you sure?" Blaine sounded anxious. "These guys are likely to kill you if you practice with the kind of music we like."

"My body is like a rum chocolate soufflé," Kurt said, hands on his hips. "If I don't warm it up right, it doesn't rise." He softened suddenly. Blaine had called Beyonce "our music." "If it makes you uncomfortable, Blaine, I'll leave it off during game rehearsals."

"No," Blaine shook his head. "I'd be more uncomfortable if you weren't **you**, Kurt, no matter how you practice." Kurt beamed and walked away.

"Dude," Puck walked over and Blaine had to suppress a groan. While he found the Noah Puckerman of 2010 somewhat bearable thanks to Lauren's tempering influence, the Puck of 2009 was simply insufferable. "Are you and Hummel an item?"

"I'm not gay!" Kurt argued, turning around with his helmet in his hand.

"I am," Blaine said loudly.

Suddenly, the entire field froze, even Kurt, whose only movement was a widening of the eyes.

"What did you say?" Puck rounded on Blaine, who back away, only to bump into Karofsky and Azimio. He gulped, but refused to back down.

"I said I'm gay," Blaine said, with far less volume this time

"Dude, there's no place on the field for guys like you," Puck said. He paused. "Are you sure? You don't look like a girl, even if you are in Glee Club."

"You're in the Acafellas, no one's questioning your sexuality," Blaine snapped.

"I'm a stud, dude," Puck retorted. "I could wear a dress to school and people would think it's cool," he walked up to Blaine until their noses were almost touching. "You, on the other hand, might as well wear a dress every day because nobody is going to treat you any better."

"They don't have to," Blaine said, head held high even though his heart and courage levels were in the sub-basement levels. Sensing that everyone was about to pound him and anyone near him into a bloody pulp, he turned to Kurt with wide, panicked eyes, signaling him to leave. Kurt broke into a run toward Blaine instead as Karofsky swung his fist back. Luckily, before any beating could be administered, the coach blew his whistle and the entire team gathered together, each and every player doing their best to jostle Blaine to the back of the huddle.

"Um, Coach Tenaka," Puck said loudly, "Blaine Anderson would like to quit football."

The coach glared at Blaine. "We are six games into the season, Anderson! Where am I supposed to find another kicker?" he demanded.

Blaine turned to a still shell-shocked Kurt and the shorter boy walked up.

"Hi, I'm Kurt Hummel and I'll be auditioning for the role of kicker." Snickers of hostility sounded across the crowd, but Kurt only kept his head raised higher.

Blaine put Kurt's boom box on the field and held the ball out while Kurt pressed a few buttons to put "Single Ladies" on. Blaine was allowed a few moments of ogling Kurt's butt as the boy began to dance up to the ball and kicked it. The football soared through the sky and the goal posts, shutting all the laughing players up. A thoroughly shocked coach ran up to Kurt.

"Can you do that with the game on the line and ten gorillas bearing down on you who want nothing more than to taste your sweet virgin blood?" he asked.

"Can I have my music?" Kurt asked. When he saw Blaine flash him a thumbs-up and trudge dejectedly away, he changed his mind. "Can you keep him on the roster?" Kurt asked, pointing to Blaine.

"Are you kidding? If you can keep kicking like that, I'll let you do it in a tutu holding Anderson's hand," the coach said before proudly announcing Kurt as their new kicker and reinstating Blaine…as water boy. Still, Blaine returned Kurt's fancy wave despite Puck's murderous glare in his direction

* * *

><p>"You really didn't have to do that," Blaine said as he helped Kurt get his football uniform.<p>

"Of course I did," Kurt said, his usual I-was-royalty-in-a-previous-life tone in place until he turned and saw tears glimmering in Blaine's eyes. He kneeled down and took one of Blaine's hands in each of his. "You were so brave, coming out like that, and you looked so sad when Puck kicked you off the field; I had to do something. I know you only came out to defend me."

"I came out because I'm gay and I love you too," Blaine reminded, standing.

Kurt smiled, standing with Blaine because their fingers were still intertwined. A mischievous spark entered his eyes. "You know, the rest of the guys have already left, and my dad's not expecting me back for a while."

Blaine swallowed as Kurt put his hands on the edge of his boxers to pull down so slowly that it made Blaine wish his erection was free as well. Unable to stand the friction, he let out a growl and nearly ripped off Kurt's shirt. He wrapped his arms around Kurt and lost himself in warm softness of the sophomore's body, his tender sighs, and unquestioning trust as Blaine's hand slipped between Kurt's slender legs on a soft and sensual mission. Kurt groaned as Blaine cupped him loosely; the freshman's fingers were like velvet.

"I need you," Kurt mouthed against Blaine's skin.

Kurt needed Blaine? No, Blaine was the one in need, deep and dark and insatiable, in need of everything that made Kurt his. Kurt groaned again as Blaine's warm mouth trailed long, lingering kisses that were as much consumption as suction. Kurt felt like he was being eaten by inches, unable to do anything but lie there and let Blaine feed until there was nothing left.

"Blaine," he murmured when the boy's lips brushed across his nipple, "I need you."

Blaine kept his dark eyes on Kurt's blue ones as he bent down and took Kurt in soft, soft hands that guided him to a warm and giving mouth. Blaine's breath feathered across Kurt's length, lovingly gentle and passionate at the same time.

Kurt didn't believe in a god, but he believed in the sensation of Blaine's tongue on his member and the seductive suction. This felt more complex than desire. It was much more intense, and Kurt lowered all his inhibition as he gave in to the all-consuming pleasure. He buried his hands deep in Blaine's hair and unexpectedly bucked. Blaine coughed.

Kurt withdrew reluctantly. "S-sorry," he said, twitching with the need to feel Blaine's warm breath against his flesh again.

"Help me set a rhythm," Blaine said, letting Kurt's hands knot deeper into his hair as gave another long lick. This time, Kurt guided Blaine's head and the pleasure was enhanced, building to such a height that he thought he would explode any second. He tried to pull out, but Blaine muttered something, the warm whisper on wet flesh so enticing Kurt didn't realize what he was saying at first.

"Don't," Blaine continued. "Don't hold back."

_A Parents' Night dinner at Dalton Academy…meeting a cold senator who made him fear for Blaine's life…inviting Blaine to family events. _No, this was silly; Kurt could never afford Dalton Academy.

Kurt came with one hard stroke and Blaine swallowed eagerly, licking up every musty-tasting drop. With a ragged groan, Kurt stilled and pulled out. He slid down the lockers, barely able to hear the echoing groan next to him until he saw Blaine's expression when the freshman drew himself up, somewhere between passion and unwavering longing to finish the job that Kurt had started. Kurt struggled to drag himself up, but Blaine sucked in a deep breath and shook his head, palming himself through his boxers.

"I can take care of it, don't worry," Blaine said patiently in possibly the lowest octave Kurt had ever heard from a human being, with the exception of his own sounds a few moments ago. Kurt watched, transfixed, as Blaine wrapped his fingers around his thick length and guided himself home with a single breath, beyond finesse or anything tender or gentle now.

Both boys feeling boneless on the ground, they could only make sluggish conversation.

"How much experience do you have?" Kurt asked breathlessly. "That, Blaine, that transcended, ugh," he curled up, unable to think of the right word through his bliss.

"Not much," Blaine admitted. "I'm not perfect, practiced, or even skilled."

Kurt thought about how much Blaine was willing—no, not willing, **wanted**—to do for him, with an urgency and ardor that robbed him of all reason and control, and nearly got hard again. He lifted his head. "I don't believe in a god," he said, "but that wasn't just physical, Blaine. That was spiritual."

Blaine smiled at Kurt. Something had occurred between them, and Blaine was glad he wasn't the only one who had felt it.

Suddenly, Kurt sat upright. "Your father," he said with a frown, "I don't like him much, do I?"

Blaine swallowed. Luckily, he was prevented from having to answer when the janitor opened the door and the only thing on Kurt's mind became the need to shower and dress. When Kurt came out of the showers and refused to even look at Blaine until they were both fully dressed, Blaine worried that oral sex had been too much too soon and worried over how he was going to fix it.

He remembered that future Kurt had loved Lady Gaga for a long time. That was it! He could play Lady Gaga for him. Except he didn't have any of her albums, and his car radio had been acting up lately. Even Kurt and his father hadn't been able to figure out what was wrong with it.

To his surprise, however, Kurt gave him a bright smile as he hopped into the seat next to Blaine's. "Don't turn on the radio," he pleaded.

"Why not?" Blaine asked.

"We can make our own music," Kurt ran his fingers up Blaine's arm and smirked when he saw Blaine swallow and shiver in response.

"S-sure," Blaine was sure even Tina was more coherent than he was when Kurt Hummel turned his full powers of seduction on him. "What do you have in mind?"

Kurt cleared his throat and started to sing.

"_There's something about the way the street looks when it's just rained.  
>There's a glow off the pavement, you walk me to the car.<br>And you know I want to ask you to dance right there, in the middle of the parking lot. Yeah. Oh yeah."_

Not to be outdone, Blaine sang as well,

"_We're driving down the road, I wonder if you know.  
>I'm trying so hard not to get caught up now, but you're just so cool.<br>Run your hands through your hair, absent-mindedly making me want you."_

Blaine and Kurt's hands found the other's and they sang together.

"_And I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless.  
>And I don't know why, but with you I'd dance in a storm, very well-dressed. Fearless."<em>

Neither of the boys could remember the lyrics after that, so they gave up and decided to simply lie back on the car seats. Silence reigned, but not for long.

"Kurt," Blaine cleared his throat nervously. "Are you okay?"

Kurt was confused. "Yeah, I think so, why?"

"No, I mean, are you okay with what we did in the lockers earlier?"

"I love you," Blaine said honestly, eyes on Kurt's absolutely enchanting face.

"I love you too," Kurt said, more sincerity in his voice than there had been all day.

The boys drove in contented silence for a few minutes until, after a few seconds of consideration, Kurt asked "Have you ever heard of a place called Dalton?"

Blaine nearly crashed the car. He would have, too, if Kurt hadn't pulled the wheel from him. How could Kurt have known about the school that was rapidly being erased out of Blaine's memories?

"Keep your eyes on the road next time!" Kurt yelled.

"Sorry," Blaine apologized, starting the car again. As they continued driving, Kurt made no mention of Dalton, choosing instead to snidely comment on people he believed were dumber than Blaine yet drove better than he did. Blaine was so relieved that Kurt seemed to have forgotten about Dalton that he didn't let those comments get to him. He still wondered how Kurt could have known about the private school, but decided that as long as he didn't bring it up again, it probably wouldn't be a problem.

It wasn't until Blaine had dropped Kurt off at his house that he remembered that he had met Sam at Dalton, and if he didn't go to Dalton, how on Earth could Sam have known him?

Was it related to how Sam had mysteriously materialized in his car?

* * *

><p><em>And just when I thought things couldn't get any better, they do! Five reviews! I can't believe the reviews are approaching 20 before I even get to the 5th chapter. You guys rock!<em>

_Next time, I'll cover the football game and Kurt's coming out. Also, Blaine is going to tell Kurt a secret. What's the secret? I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU! Also, some deviation from canon starts next chapter._

_Suggestions? Anything you want to see Blaine do? Requests for -shudder- even **more** (or better) smut? Drop a review and say so!_


	5. Fearless Part Two

_I got my first royalties check in the mail on Saturday. Granted, by the time I was done paying for international shipping (remember, China) and converting the money to American dollars (again, China), it comes out to $3, but still, it's so empowering to a PAID WRITER! To know that I am capable of getting myself money for what I create with words, that is a feeling for which there are no words._

_On a slightly less positive note, earlier that same day, I had a seizure doing the laundry and gave myself a mild concussion, which made me both more and less productive; more because I had to stay awake and did that by writing, less because I had a splitting headache and couldn't even look at a computer screen. I couldn't even dictate because I broke my jaw and it's wired shut, so I can't move it that much. But I'm totally recovered now, with a manageable headache. If there are any problems, it's because I'm on painkillers._

* * *

><p>Chapter V: Fearless (Part Two)<p>

"You're going to teach us how to **dance**?" Azimio was disbelieving.

"What does Beyonce have to do with football?" Puck agreed, slamming his locker in anger.

"It works for Kurt," Finn pointed out.

"Oh, don't tell me you're on Lance Bass' side," Karofsky groaned.

"Lance Bass only wishes he's as good as Kurt is," Blaine snorted in response.

"Look," Will said, defusing the situation before Blaine's face could be torn off his head, "all athletes are performers. There's Jim Brown, Dick Butkes."

"OJ Simpson," Finn added not-so-helpfully.

Will blinked and shook his head. "Dance has a long history of being able to improve attitude."

"Oh, I get it," Puck relaxed. "We have to think more like Amazonian black women."

"Thank goodness Mercedes isn't here, or she'd kick your ass," Kurt muttered just loudly enough for Puck to hear but not loudly enough to be caught instigating a fight.

"Come on, Coach, this is a joke, right?" Azimio appealed to Ken Tenaka. "We might as well just hand our pride to the other team on gold plates."

"We gave up our pride when we lost to that school for the deaf," the coach replied.

Blaine frowned. "He is aware that a school for the deaf invented the football huddle, right?" he leaned over to whisper conspiratorially in Kurt's ear, causing the sophomore to giggle and draw attention to the boys. Seeing that an all-out gay bash was about to occur, Kurt cleared his throat.

"Sun Tzu said in The Art of War that surprise is the best weapon," he said seriously.

"Okay, enough of this," said the coach. "Suit up and hit the choir room."

Blaine and Kurt shared eye-rolls as Will lead the football players in "step ball change" moves until Kurt finally snapped and stepped in.

"Hand, hand," Kurt said, showing his palm, then the back of his hand. "Point to the finger," he pointed to his ring finger. "Hip," the way he rotated his almost made Blaine's eyes bug out of his head. "Head," he threw his around and Blaine cursed the friction of his penis against his boxers. "Oh, sneak attack back to the ring. Comb through the hair. Slap. The," each accompanying word was followed by a slap to the "Butt."

The coach blew his whistle again and sent the team to the showers as Kurt walked up to him and started discussing the possibility of a show circle, which was just as well, since Blaine needed an ice cold shower before Kurt saw him again. He ran, crashing into a Finn and Puck too busy arguing about something to fight with him.

* * *

><p>Blaine stood at his window for a long time, thinking over the events of the last two months. He had no idea what was going on, and this terrified him. He felt like he wasn't even really part of this world anymore. No, wait, that was a dream where Kurt's family died.<p>

Frustrated, he rubbed his eyes and kicked the blankets off. Someone grunted and Blaine sat up with a start to find a man with dark hair, dark eyes, and glasses. Blaine's room wasn't as dim as it was just seconds ago, but it was still too dim to really be able to see the man's face.

"You look like David Tennant," Blaine whispered before he could stop himself.

"Yeah, apparently he's the actor who plays me," the man replied, waving his hand around loftily. Blaine chuckled, thinking of Kurt, and caught sight of the blue police box in the corner.

"Doc, we really have to be careful here," said Sam.

"Sam!" Blaine hissed. "You're not supposed to know me," he remembered.

"I'm not your Sam," Sam said. "You'll see your Sam later," he promised.

"Just, be nice to him. At least, until Kurt's a senior," the woman from the parking lot poked her head out, "then you can treat him as badly as you want."

"Hey!" Sam protested.

The woman shrugged. "We're not talking about you," she argued. The quarrel made absolutely no sense, and Blaine feared his eyes were about to cross. Almost as if she sensed this, the woman turned to Blaine and smiled warmly. "We're your friends, Blaine."

"Alright, enough," the Doctor snapped, annoyed. "We have to go home before we tear a new rift in here. I'm sure Lima has enough problems without adding aliens to the mix." He put his hand over Blaine's neck and the boy fell asleep.

When he woke up, the blankets were tucked around him in a way that felt familiar, even though he had never been tucked in before.

* * *

><p>"Alright, guys, we really came together this week," Finn began his pep talk.<p>

"Yeah, as a **gay** team. A big team of dancing **gays**," said Puck, glaring at Blaine as he spat out the last few words.

"Yeah, dude," Azimio seconded. "There's no way I'm dancing during the game."

The rest of the team, minus Kurt and Blaine, agreed and headed toward the field. Blaine walked toward the bench, head bowed. Seeing how resigned his boyfriend was, Kurt walked up to Finn.

"Please, Finn," Kurt knew he had puppy-dog eyes and planned to use them to his full advantage. "It's not just a dance, it's a lesson. Don't throw away the lesson, please!"

"Hey, QB, your mama's so fat, the back of her neck looks like a pack of hot dogs. Get me some ketchup!" an opposing player cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered at Finn.

That cinched it. Finn walked away from Kurt in disgust. Kurt turned around, dejected, until he saw his father maneuvering the bleachers and waved.

"I told you, Dad, I told you!" he jumped up and down with excitement. "Hey, Blaine, that's my dad!" he grabbed Blaine's hand and made the boy turn around. Blaine waved at Mr. Hummel, who waved back. "Where's your dad?" Kurt asked Blaine, sounding like a hyper puppy.

"He's working," Blaine answered. "Now, get ready; you're the star," he wanted a distraction.

It worked like a charm, perhaps too well. Kurt chose to do a series of chorus-line high-kicks as his warm up, and Blaine couldn't stop staring. He tried to convince himself that it was a desire to avoid seeing the 6-0 scoreboard rather than Kurt's very-

_Okay, focus on the scoreboard._

"Time out," Finn called, pulling the team together. "We have to try the dance," he said.

"Dude, we can't. We'll be jokes," Puck argued.

"We're already jokes!" Finn argued. "I don't want to be a Lima loser the rest of my life."

Something shifted in Puck's face.

"Yo, left tackle, your mama's so fat her cereal bowl comes with its own lifeguard, like 'Baywatch.'"

"Hey, ankle-grabber, I had sex with your mother," Puck yelled back. "No, seriously, I cleaned you pool, and then I had sex with her in your bed." There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before he added, "Nice 'Star Wars' sheets," almost as an afterthough. He turned back to Finn, "I'm in."

Finn looked around at the team. "Ring on it on three," he said. "You too, Blaine," he added as an afterthought. It wasn't as clever as Puck's, but it meant a hell of a lot more.

Blaine nodded and joined the crew as Finn signaled to Lauren from the Audio-Visual Club to play "Single Ladies." And now the team started to dance.

"Hey, nice moves," Blaine whispered to #22. "What's your name?"

"Mike Chang," #22 replied. "Who are you, #34?" he asked.

"Blaine Anderson. You should join Glee Club," he finished. Mike nodded, continuing to dance as they watched the quarterback from the opposing team stop a few of his fellow players (in both senses of the word) from dancing along.

"Hike!" Finn called out, making a long pass to Puck. When he made the shot and the entire home side stood up and cheered, Blaine turned away from Will and the coach's girlfriend hugging and saw that the teams were tied.

Coach Tenaka came up to Kurt. "You're up, kid," he said shortly. Apparently, he had seen the hug as well. Blaine saw Kurt's surprise and went over to encourage him.

"You make this, and we win," Blaine reminded. "You make this, and you die a legend," he offered his hand to pull Kurt off the bench. "But not anytime soon, I hope," he added quietly.

Kurt smiled nervously. "Can I pee first?"

Blaine smiled. "You're going to nail this," he said, patting Kurt on the back and pushing him toward the field.

"Gah," he heard Burt's father say. "He's so little."

Blaine's heart shattered just a little bit. Kurt really was tiny, but more than that, he had a father who loved him. Blaine **had** to make sure Kurt and Burt's relationship was closer because of tonight, and so when Kurt motioned for Blaine to start the music, Blaine jumped on the bench, microphone in hand.

"'_Cause I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless.  
>And I don't know why, but with you I'd dance a storm as my best-dressed, fearless."<em>

Kurt stared and blushed, but charged that football with power formerly unavailable to him, and made the shot. The crowd went wild and the team, minus Blaine, carried Kurt off the field on their shoulders. Blaine would have joined them, but Burt Hummel stopped him as he stepped off the bleachers.

"How good of friends are you with my son?" asked Burt.

"I hope to be better friends with him soon, sir," said Blaine.

But nodded in his gruff manner. "Alright, but look, I just downed a couple beers. Don't tell Kurt, but I'm taking a cab home tonight. Can you drive him?"

Blaine nodded. "I'll make sure he's safe, sir, don't worry," he said sincerely.

As soon as Kurt slid into his seat, Blaine began to sing.

"_So baby drive slow, till we run out of road in this one-horse town.  
>I want to stay right here in this passenger's seat. You put your eyes on me.<br>In this moment now, capture it, remember it."_

They sang together for a while before Blaine pulled his car in front of Kurt's house.

"'_Cause I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless.  
>And I don't know why, but with you I'd dance in a storm as my best-dressed, fearless."<em>

Unexpectedly, Kurt pulled Blaine's chin closer to his face, forcing the freshman to look at him.

"_Well you stood there with me in the doorway. My hands shake.  
>I'm not usually this way, but you pull me in and I'm a little more brave.<br>It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something."_

They kissed deeply and tenderly. It was more intimate, somehow, than the sex.

"_It's fearless."_

Kurt was panting when they pulled apart. "I'm going to tell him, tonight."

"Tell him?" Blaine was still trying to get oxygen back into his brain, but Kurt was already sticking his key in the door. By the time Blaine's body cooperated with him, Kurt had already started his moisturizing routine and Burt was back. In fact, there was possibly not a more compromising position to be caught in while clothed, short of making out, that could have been more awkward than Blaine helping Kurt apply moisturizer.

"Nighttime skin care is a big part of my post-game ritual," Kurt said immediately.

"I don't know what to say about that," said Burt. "But I do know one thing: I'm proud of you, and your mom would be too. I just wish she could be here to see you."

Kurt watched with glimmering eyes as Burt walked back up the stairs. Burt's words sunk in, Blaine's hand was warm on his cheek, and he stood suddenly. "Dad, there's something I want to say to you. I'm really glad that you're proud of me, but I don't want to lie anymore," he said in a rush.

Burt came back and simply watched. Kurt would've normally squirmed under such a direct gaze, but he felt Blaine shift into a protective and encouraging stance and continued despite the tears of terror about to break through and the hope that was almost more paralyzing than the fear and trepidation. "Being a part of the glee club and football has really shown me that I can be anything. And what I am is…" he faltered and felt Blaine's hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing. It wasn't a gesture for Kurt to do anything, merely a reminder that he wasn't alone. "I'm gay," he said.

"I know," Burt said, making Kurt's heart stop for a moment in shock. "I've known since you were three and all you wanted for your birthday was a pair of sensible heels."

"Yeah, sixteen-year-old Kurt would want a pair of non-sensible heels," Blaine quipped.

Burt actually laughed. "I guess I'm not totally in love with the idea, but if that's who you are," he shrugged casually, "nothing I can do about it." He walked closer and put a reassuring hand on the shoulder Blaine abandoned. "And I love you just as much," he said before Kurt pulled him into a hug. "Thanks for telling me," he said before they pulled away.

Just before he was about to disappear upstairs, he turned back. "You're sure, about this whole gay thing?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Kurt said.

"Alright," Burt fixed his eyes on Blaine. "Are you gay too?"

"Yes, sir, I am," Blaine smiled his most charming smile and hoped he wouldn't wet himself.

"Hmm," Burt nodded. "And are you two, uh, going out?" he gestured to the two of them.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other before shaking their heads in unison. One shocker was enough for tonight.

Burt heaved a long sigh. "Door stays open," he said warningly.

Kurt nodded eagerly and continued to moisturize. But it wasn't long before he and Blaine began to sing once more.

"_Oh yeah, 'cause I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless.  
>And I don't know why, but with you I'd dance in a storm as my best-dressed, fearless. Oh, oh, oh yeah."<em>

Blaine and Kurt kissed again. "We'll tell your dad some other day, when he's not so preoccupied," Blaine promised.

"I know. I just hope you wear a bulletproof vest when that happens," Kurt continued to kiss until Blaine was pressed down on the bed, accidentally landing on the remote and turning the television on. Kurt and Blaine both stopped and stared at Sue Sylvester on their screen.

"You know, there's a question I get asked a lot. Whether I'm accepting an honorary doctorate or performing a citizen's arrest, people ask me, 'Sue, what's your secret?' Well, I'll tell you my secret, western Ohio. Sue Sylvester's not afraid to shake things up. You know, I'm tired of hearing people complain, 'I'm riddled with this disease,' or 'I was in that tsunami.'"

Blaine felt like a bucket of water had been dumped on him, but that disappeared just as quickly as his other hallucinations and felt somehow less real.

"To them I say, 'Shake it up a bit!' Get out of your box, even if that box happens to be where you're living. I'll often yell at homeless people, 'Hey, how's that homelessness working out for you? Give not being homeless a try, huh?' You know something, Ohio? It's not easy to break out of your comfort zone. People will tear you down telling you, 'You shouldn't have bothered in the first place.' But let me tell you something; there's not much of a difference between a stadium full of cheering fans and an angry crowd screaming abuse at you. They're both just making a lot of noise. How you take it us up to you. Convince yourself they're cheering for you. You do that, and someday, they will."

* * *

><p><em>Thank goodness Mia got Patriot's Day off and could come visit me for the weekend, otherwise I would have been absolutely hopeless.<em>

_Next time, we'll examine the effects of Kurt's drinking in "The Rhodes Not Taken," Kurt and Blaine break up (temporarily), and the Doctor drops in for a visit._

_Thank you so much, guys. Six reviews last chapter. SIX! I can't even start on how amazed I am at this response. I hope you guys keep them coming!_


	6. The Outside Part One

_Yes, it's another two-part cover of an episode. I'm doing two of these in a row because it really pissed me off that Kurt's alcoholism wasn't really explored in the episode. So, I'm delving deeper here, and that requires a longer chapter._

_Also, I haven't really been doing this in previous chapters since everything was in flashbacks, but_ I got a very heartfelt message from a reader I'm not naming about her/his memories of child abuse asking me to warn readers, so that's what I'm doing. So_ be warned that in this chapter, Lola Anderson (Blaine's mother) physically abuses her son._

_That being said, thank you so much to the four people who reviewed! I hope you guys continuing reading this!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "The Outside" or the lyrics, which for one I didn't change so that it would make sense with a guy singing it. With almost all the previous songs, I changed something in the lyrics._

* * *

><p>Chapter VI: The Outside (Part One)<p>

"Did you hear the news?" Mercedes asked Kurt.

"What news?" Kurt apparently hadn't.

"Rachel quit," Santana replied.

"What did she bite? A bullet?" Brittany asked, twirling her hair.

"F-f-f-finally," Tina said. "I g-g-get to s-sing l-lead."

Suddenly, Quinn stood up and walked to the front of the room next to Finn, dashing the goth and the two divas' hopes. However, she barely started singing before she started to heave and had to run for the bathroom. Everyone turned to Finn, and honestly, all this turning around very quickly to give his attention to ten different people in five seconds was making Blaine dizzy.

"I think she just had a bad breakfast burrito," Finn was a terrible liar.

Kurt planted his hands firmly on his hips. "Can we **please** talk about the giant elephant in the room?" he lorded.

"Your sexuality?" Santana asked at the same time Brittany asked, "Your boyfriend?"

Kurt tossed them both a haughty look as he corrected them. "Rachel," he said. "We can't do it without her."

"Maybe we could layer Santana and Mercedes over Quinn," Will thought out loud.

"That might work for invitationals, Mr. Schue, but sectionals and regionals are going to be a different story," Artie disagreed.

"The wheelchair kid's right," Puck said. "That Rachel chick makes me want to light myself on fire, but she can sing."

"I'll light you on fire and toss you in a dumpster," Blaine muttered, not realizing how quiet the room was until it was too late.

"Okay, guys," Will started to yell. "We've got to get over this. Rachel's gone, and she's not coming back. We're going to take five minutes, and when we come back, I expect all of you to be ready to hold your own!"

Blaine and Kurt walked into the bathroom no one else used because it was old and disgusting and crusted over with semen, which suited their purposes exactly, and immediately began to make out.

Blaine kissed slowly, methodically, taking his time with Kurt's lips, making Kurt's body sag and lean into Blaine's. Kurt had once thought weak knees from a good kiss only happened in books; now he knew better.

All too quickly, however, they had to go back to Glee.

* * *

><p>"Guys, I would like to introduce someone special," Will said. "This is April Rhodes."<p>

"Is her middle name orange?" asked Brittany.

"Old people can join Glee Club now?" Finn queried.

"This seems like a terrible idea," Artie added.

Puck winked and air-kissed a reciprocating April

"We appreciate what you're trying to do," Mercedes said in a tone that made it clear that they didn't, "but she's no Rachel."

"Who's Rachel?" April asked Will.

"Sh-sh-sh-she's kind of our star," Tina stuttered.

"So where is she?" April asked with a rhetorical eyebrow raised.

"She left," Kurt sniffed, "to be the lead in 'Cabaret.'" His tone was disgusted. Whether the disgust was from Rachel's abandonment or April's garish and too-tight outfit, Blaine hadn't a clue.

April grinned, took off her jacket, and dramatically threw it at Will before calling to the piano player, "Hey, Tinkles, give me 'Maybe This Time' in B flat, and don't let me catch you snoozing!"

Blaine's eyebrows disappeared—no small feat, as they were the size of molting caterpillars—when she adjusted her bra strap and began to belt. From across the hall, he could hear Rachel singing the same song, and it was like the two sopranos were dueling with each other. He hated to give it to Rachel, but it sounded like she was winning. Then April hit that final high note, and all the air seemed to rush out of the room. Even Puck was sitting with an open mouth.

"Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!" April sassed, sauntering out of the room.

Blaine sniffed and Kurt handed his boyfriend a handkerchief that felt strangely wet.

* * *

><p>"Kurt Hummel, huh?" April Rhodes walked into the room, breaking up a practice duet of "You Make My Dreams" by Hall and Oates. "Well, well, well, Blaine Anderson too," she simpered.<p>

"Hi," Blaine was nervous. He hadn't met this person, nor had Kurt ever spoken about her. Or had he? His memories of the future were fading day by day.

"I want you guys to try something," she said, taking out a thermos and pouring it out. She handed the cup to Kurt and the thermos to Blaine.

Kurt sniffed his delicately. "It smells like my aunt, Mildred," he tried to refuse. Blaine smelled his and was immediately assaulted by a series of memories, all of them infused with the scent of intoxication and none of them pleasant.

"Just drink it," April slurred. Clearly, she had already had plenty of her own.

Kurt sipped with his pinkie out. "Sweet," he decided, "with a bit of an after-burn-y taste."

"Good Chablis should always have a little bite," April sounded full of self-importance. "A few swigs of liquid courage every morning before school, and before you know it, you'll have all the self-confidence you need to be yourself."

"That's fantastic!" Kurt began enthusiastically

"No, it's not," Blaine stood up, skin clammy and hands shaking. "Kurt, don't listen to her. Come on," he took Kurt's left hand, but April put hers on Kurt's right arm.

"Not before you see my vintage collection of primo muscle magazines," April grinned, reaching into her bag for a three-inch stack of greyscale magazines.

Blaine tugged again, but this time Kurt's hand slid out of his grasp and reached for the magazines. Blaine's face fell and he ran out of the room, unable to stand the fumes. Behind him, he could hear Kurt tell Will, "I've changed my mind. April should stay. I **worship** her." He ran faster and didn't stop until he reached the dumpsters. For once, he wished that he would be tossed in. It would at least be a distraction from his fears that this would be the end of Kurt and Blaine.

"Oh, hell to the no!" a familiar voice argued. Blaine turned and saw the woman from the parking lot fully living up to her nickname. Again, she seemed to read Blaine's mind. "I'm Pearl, sweetheart," she said, marching purposefully up to him before grabbing him by the chin. "Listen, maybe you've been through a whole lot, but my Blaine's been through a lot worse, and if you don't believe me, fine, but you've got to believe in yourself, okay? And believe in Kurt; you two will get through this, but only if you make sure you're there for him. He's about to get himself in real trouble here. Vomiting on the school counselor is only the beginning," she let go. "But hey, tell me how good of an Emma I do," she said. Her body language changed and she made a noise like something dying.

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked.

"Kurt is a mean drunk, but you don't have to be a mean spectator," Pearl said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go. I'm breaking the Doctor's rules just by being here talking to you."

"But you haven't told me anything," Blaine cried, frustrated.

Pearl lifted a butterfly-feeler eyebrow. "Haven't I?" she challenged. "Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean my advice is any less valid. In fact, if anything, it makes my advice more valid. Now go help your boyfriend before he becomes Josh Groban's dream man, if Josh were gay," she pointed.

So compelling was her voice that, for some reason, Blaine obeyed. He walked back into the choir room, only to find Mercedes and Tina shoving ground beef between their legs. He walked out immediately before anyone could see him, but couldn't resist spying.

"Your lack of imagination astounds me," April sighed, but he could hear the smile still in her voice. "This is only the beginning! If you can master this, you can sneak anything out of a store between your knees." Blaine carefully peeked in just in time to see April shove a head of cabbage up her skirt and sashay around the room. He wanted to throw up as she continued to speak. "Shoes, prom dresses—I once got a cake out of a kid's birthday party with the candles still lit!"

Blaine was assaulted with another memory.

_Karofsky burning something…_wait, that wasn't a memory, but it was just as vivid as the memories of Sunday night.

When he came back to school the next day, Tina and Mercedes were wearing much more expensive clothing, much more accessories, and much more elegant jewelry than he believe they could afford.

"She can stay," Mercedes grinned at Mr. Schue.

"T-t-t-totally!" Tina agreed.

Blaine groaned and turned away from that scene, but he found the scene in front of him even more awful. Mike and Puck were leaving the steamy boys' locker room shower with satisfied smiles on their faces and little else, April between them wearing Puck's jersey and a towel turban on her head. Puck gave Will an enthusiastic thumbs-up as he passed. Will looked pleased, and Blaine felt incredibly alone. How on Earth was he supposed to help Kurt when he couldn't even help himself?

* * *

><p>Blaine sat in his room later that day, pondering that exact question. His homework was done—it was almost nothing compared to how his Dalton workload had been, and it was nice to know that he still retained the knowledge, even if he couldn't remember exactly what day he had learned biology or geometry. Before he knew it, he was singing.<p>

"_I didn't know what I would find, when I went looking for a reason, I know.  
>I didn't read between the lines, and baby I've got nowhere to go.<br>I tried to take the road less traveled by, but nothing works the first few times. Am I right?"_

He remembered looking through the window of his Biology classroom to wave at Kurt in his French class. Kurt had turned away, clearly still miffed. Blaine looked down, trying to hide tears.

"_So how can I ever, try to be better? Nobody ever lets me in.  
>I can still see you. This ain't the best view: on the outside, looking in.<br>I've been a lot of lonely places. I've never been on the outside."_

He started to pace quietly, until he bumped into the glasses-wearing man again. "Look, I'm really glad you guys are trying to help me," he wanted to be diplomatic, "but really, you're not giving me any information here that I can actually use."

The dark-eyed man sighed and ran a hand through his equally dark hair. "Look, Blaine," he said. "You're not the only Blaine Anderson out there."

Blaine nodded impatiently. Blaine wasn't that uncommon of a name, nor was Anderson so much as a surname.

"There's more than one universe with you in it," the man said.

"What does that mean?" Blaine asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I woke up two years into the past; I've had a blue telephone box randomly materialize in my room; I'm pretty sure whatever you say will be small potatoes next to that." Screw manners! Blaine wanted answers, dammit!

The Doctor coughed uncomfortably. "See, I don't have the whole story. Only your mother knows everything that's going on."

Blaine started to walk downstairs, but the man put a hand on his shoulder. "Not your mother, the mother of Blaine Anderson from Universe No. Four."

Blaine turned to the man to demand an explanation for what he just said, but he was nowhere to be seen. Letting out a frustrated growl, Blaine collapsed on his bed, which groaned obscenely.

"BOY, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT BEING QUIET!" his mother yelled from downstairs.

Blaine froze, unable to move despite his screaming brain as his mother footsteps clunked up the stairs. The door flew open and Blaine stood up, hoping Lola was too drunk to catch him if he were to dart out the door.

Unfortunately, Lola was not drunk, but hungover and angrier than ever. A fist crashed into the side of Blaine's head, causing him to stumble sideways and fall to the floor as his vision grew cloudy.

"Don't try to get away from me, you fucking faggot!" Lola yelled.

Blaine curled up into a ball as more blows rained down. He would have tried to get up, but the pain made him nauseous. Blood from his head dripped on the floor, and he lied back down to gather his strength. It didn't work, because Lola gripped his hair and pulled him to his knees to get better access to his stomach. He doubled up in agony when Lola's fist seemed to go all the way through him before she finally left.

Blaine slowly eased himself into a sitting position when his vision finally started to clear. He could see blood dripping on the carpet, but experience had taught him that even minor head wounds could bleed a lot. This one didn't look serious.

He sighed and lied down on the pillow. He felt nauseous and sweaty and couldn't stop shaking. Why was it so hot? It wasn't this hot just a few moments ago. He wanted to sleep, because it looked dark enough, even though it was really, really bright at the same time. He welcomed the unconsciousness he fell into.

* * *

><p>Blaine felt incredibly sluggish the next morning, and he hoped Kurt wouldn't notice. The Doctor, this other Sam, and Pearl were wrong; Kurt didn't need him, but he needed Kurt.<p>

Speaking of Kurt, he was walking past Blaine as if he didn't even see his boyfriend—ex-boyfriend?—looking disheveled with eyes like a raccoon. Emma walked by the both of them, smiling at Blaine and stopping when she saw Kurt. She sniffed the air and called Kurt over.

"I'm a girl who knows her solvents," she said, "and your breath smells like rubbing alcohol."

Kurt looked worse than Blaine felt, and seemed barely able to focus on Emma as she spoke. Finally, he opened his mouth and whimpered, "Oh, Bambi, I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy!" He swayed and Blaine knew something was wrong. He ran over to the boy too late to keep Kurt from throwing up on Emma's shoes.

Emma made a sound like something dying, and Blaine remembered Pearl's impression in the parking lot. "Vomiting on the school counselor is only the beginning," she had said.

The epiphany finally hit Blaine. _He had been sent back to prevent this!_

Immediately, Blaine pulled Kurt aside. "Kurt, are you drunk?"

Kurt groaned and tried to draw away. "Stop it, hobbit," he murmured.

"Kurt," Blaine wanted to shake him, but he heard that hangovers left huge headaches, and if his was anything to go by, shaking might be worse than thumbscrews. He hugged Kurt to his chest instead. "Kurt, it's alright," he soothed. "It'll be okay."

Kurt started to heave again, and Blaine moved him to a bathroom stall so he could throw up. Wiping the sweaty hair out of Kurt's face, Blaine noticed the mirror and was startled at just how awful the both of them looked. Blaine looked like he had gotten two hours of sleep, and Kurt like he had gotten wasted, both of which looked to be true.

"Kurt, why did you drink so much?" Blaine asked.

"I thought it would make me brave," Kurt sniffed.

"You are brave," Blaine said without thinking—really, he was incapable of much thought right now—"and you're much braver without the alcohol."

Kurt clutched Blaine's shirt and pressed his face into Blaine's collarbone. Blaine wrapped his arms and pulled Kurt closer, even though he was still aching from last night. They both needed the comfort. "I'm not brave," Kurt sniffed. "Not like you."

"Kurt, you came out to your father. I was beaten up by mine." Both boys froze. _Oh crap!_

* * *

><p><em>-gasp- Blaine accidentally let it slip! Could this be the end?<em>

_Oh, wait, I already promised forty-something chapters of this. Kinda kills the suspense, doesn't it? Gee, compared to this, Pearl's life looks like a piece of cake. Okay, I'm going to have to add an epilogue to LMTYaS to make her suffer some more. (Yes, I am the devil, thanks for asking.)_

_Next time, we see how both boys deal with this and the alcohol problem._


	7. The Outside Part Two

_Okay, this chapter finishes up coverage of "The Rhodes Not Taken" and covers "Vitamin D." I changed the song they sing from "Somebody to Love" to "The Outside" because I wanted Kurt and Blaine to make up in this chapter, and Mia came up with the absolute best arrangement of "The Outside" to show just that, so muchas gracias to her!_

**Important notice!** _I'm going to start college full-time tomorrow, so the every-other-day updates are going to turn into weekly updates instead. Sorry, but I have priorities besides writing._

_That being said, I got SIX effing reviews last chapter. I can't even...asofhjsdl! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!_

* * *

><p>Chapter VII: The Outside (Part Two)<p>

Oops, he wasn't supposed to say that. Could he take it back?

"What?" Kurt looked up.

"I told you, I was outed by a bunch of jocks who beat me up," Blaine hurriedly tried to cover up his mistake. "That was how my parents knew I was gay."

Kurt sniffed. "I did that well, didn't I?" he asked proudly. Blaine was glad he kept Finn from taking away any more of Kurt's self-esteem

"Yes, Kurt, you did that brilliantly," Blaine whispered into Kurt's hair.

Kurt looked disdainfully at the dirty bathroom floor. "We need to get out of here," he sniffed, holding out his hand. "I have to buy mouthwash and makeup."

"You look beautiful," Blaine bent down—bent **down**!—to kiss Kurt's forehead. "Come on, let's get you some Listerine." He lifted Kurt to his feet and was getting ready to take the boy outside when the door burst open and someone distinctly female blurred into the next stall.

"Quinn?" Kurt lifted his head and blinked blearily.

She hurled again, then yelled weakly, "Go away!" Kurt moaned and buried his head in Blaine's shoulder. Blaine half-dragged, half-carried Kurt outside. Luckily, after some mouthwash and food, he was ready for Glee Club.

* * *

><p>"Maybe Quinn's lactose intolerant," Kurt suggested after sharing Quinn's mishap with Tina and Mercedes.<p>

"That doesn't explain all the crying," Artie dispelled his notion.

"Are you all that stupid?" Puck spat. "Seriously, I bet you thought Bert and Ernie were just roommates and Kurt and Blaine are just friends," he snorted. "She's pregnant, and Finn's the father."

For a second, it felt like every individual molecule grew still. Rachel broke the tension by jumping inside and, egoistically misunderstanding their expressions, announced, "Yes, you heard right; I'm returning to Glee Club!" At this, Puck rolled his eyes and left with his guitar.

Mercedes turned to Kurt. "This is a hot. Damn. Mess!"

"Oh. My. God!" Santana hissed at Brittany.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"From what I hear, Finn knocked up Quinn," Blaine said.

Rachel's bottom lip trembled and she ran out the room. Blaine had half a mind to follow her, but he didn't. After all, it's not like he knew her as well as the rest of New Directions. He turned to Kurt, Tina, and Mercedes, Rachel's best friends. The trio was too wrapped up in each other to notice her, and Santana and Brittany were gossiping about something completely different. With a sigh, Blaine got up and started to search for Rachel, finding her just in time to see Finn leave and Sue Sylvester enter.

"We have to talk!" she flounced furiously up to Sue. "If you'd like me to return to the musical, changes need to be made!"

"I couldn't agree with you more," Sue nodded. Blaine could hear her evil smirk. "You know, when I heard Sandy wanted to write himself into a scene as Queen Cleopatra, I was aroused, then furious." Blaine and Rachel suddenly sported identical nauseous looks. "I hereby grant you complete artistic control," Sue continued. "Congratulations, kiddo," she said in a tone made all the more ironic by the fact that it contained no irony. "You now have everything you could possibly want. Isn't it a great feeling?" with that, Sue left, taking the grin Rachel faked for her with her.

"It's not what you want, is it?" Blaine asked, leaning against the lockers.

"Who asked your opinion, buddy?" she snapped.

Blaine shrugged. "It seems to me that if you want a friend, you go to your friends, not Sandy."

Rachel glared at him before storming away. Blaine scowled in frustration before going the opposite way, back to Glee.

* * *

><p>Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" went off without a hitch and too much booing and throwing of foodstuffs, so Blaine considered it a success. He wondered when his standard for success became not having a banana peel land on his face mid-performance rather than earning another solo, and realized how badly he missed the Warblers he didn't know. From outside the room, he waved at Rachel, who blushed and walked away. Blaine frowned and felt like crying.<p>

Will walked in and Blaine shook himself out of his musings. "The rest of this evening's presentation is cancelled," he said regretfully. "April has decided to leave."

"I think I can help," Rachel said, walking in. "I know I haven't been a very good participant lately, but I'd like to try to make up for it. I thought my talent was all I needed to be special, and that's not true. Working on the musical made me realize that I didn't want to be a star as much as I wanted to be your friend." She smiled at Blaine and waved back as Santana rolled her eyes, and Blaine acknowledged her with a nod. "I've already quit the musical, and I want to join Glee Club again. I know all the words to the song," she pleaded.

"You don't know the choreography," Quinn disagreed.

"Then we're going to have to give her a lot of help out there," Finn smiled.

Will smiled as well when he turned to Rachel. "Go suit up," he said.

A few minutes later, everyone was in front of the stage. Unexpectedly, Rachel passed her microphone to Kurt, and Finn, reluctant to sing a love song with a boy, couldn't shove his into Blaine's hands fast enough. So it was Kurt and Blaine singing at the end, Blaine first, looking at Kurt.

"_You saw me there, but never knew. I would give it all up to be a part of this, a part of you."_

When Kurt sang, he looked at the audience.

"_And now it's all too late, so you see. You could have helped if you had wanted to.  
>But no one notices until it's too late to do anything."<em>

They finally faced each other.

_"So how can I ever try to be better? Nobody ever lets me in.  
>I can still see you. This ain't the best view: on the outside, looking in.<br>I've been a lot of lonely places. I've never been on the outside."_

The music behind them died down and a spotlight shone on Kurt during his solo.

"_So how can I ever try to be better? Nobody ever lets me in."_

The music behind him started again and Blaine took the stage, this time catching Kurt's eye when he sang his solo.

"_I can still see you, this ain't the best view: on the outside, looking in."_

Blaine and Kurt walked closer and closer together as they sang.

"_I've been a lot of lonely places. I've never been on the outside."_

The song was over, but Kurt and Blaine stood on the stage for a long time until, finally, Kurt reached out. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have gotten drunk, and really, you shouldn't have taken care of me." He extended his hand. "Truce?"

Blaine smiled and took Kurt's hand. Before the shorter boy could shake it, Blaine pulled him closer and kissed him. Kurt felt his entire body melt and mold into Blaine's.

The boys were back!

* * *

><p>The next day, as Rachel led the team in dance rehearsal, Will came in with their competition bracket for Sectionals.<p>

"We've only got to beat two teams to make it to Regionals," he said excitedly. "The team from the School for the Deaf and Jane Adams Academy."

"That first one sounds easy," Blaine said, "but I've never heard of the second."

"It's a halfway house for girls just getting out of juvie."

"So our only competition will be people who can't hear what they're singing, and criminals who don't care," Artie summed up. A few seconds of silence reigned before everyone cheered.

* * *

><p>"Come on, let's put some energy into it!" Will urged during another choreography session a few days later. "We have Sectionals in two weeks."<p>

"Mr. Schue, Sectionals will be a breeze," Mercedes sassed.

"We can only hope, but what we do at Sectionals will set our tone for Regionals, so we really want to shine," he lectured. He might have continued if Kurt hadn't laughed and turned the attention to him during the completely inappropriate moment.

"Oh, sorry," he held up his phone. "I was watching a funny YouTube video."

Blaine jumped over to him. "Is it the dog peeing on the baby?" he asked eagerly.

Will sighed and tacked three pairs of photos on the board: one was of Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, one was of a shark and a bear, and the last was bold of lightning and an above-ground swimming pool. He turned to face the students. "Every one of these people or elements was a champion in their own right. But they used competing with each other to make themselves even better."

"How are lightning and swimming pools in competition?" Kurt asked.

Ignoring him, Will said, "I want to put you guys in the competitive spirit, so we're going to split up, boys vs. girls."

Everyone began to move to either side of the room, depending on whether it was in or out, except for Kurt, who tried to sneak in with the girls.

"No, Kurt," Will said without even turning around.

Kurt huffed, but let Blaine drag him over to the boys' side of the room.

"Alright, each team has a week to prepare a mash-up of any two songs that you want." Of course, Puck asked what a mash-up was and Will explained before adding, "The boys will perform on Tuesday and the girls will perform on Wednesday. The winning team gets to select the number we perform at Sectionals."

"Um, Mr. Schue," Rachel raised her hand, prim and proper, "who will our judge be?" Before Will could tell her that it was clearly him, she beat him to it. "You're naturally biased for the boys."

Will nodded and did some quick thinking. "I will get a celebrity judge," he said, starting to walk out of the room, passing by the boys on his way. "I hope you guys are up for it."

"We're planning on smacking them down like the hand of God," Artie said. After Will left, the boys turned to each other and started to discuss before a sound like a motorboat drew their eyes to Finn.

"He's drooling," Blaine noted. Finn opened his eyes and saw Kurt and Puck looking at him in disgust (Kurt) and curiosity (Puck).

"Um, when I think really hard, it helps to close my eyes," Finn lied.

"Whatever," Artie said dismissively. "We've decided to perform Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life' and Usher's 'Confessions.'"

"We should get some trash can lids and stomp the yard up in this piece!" Puck said enthusiastically.

"Puck, with respect, you're more helpful when you don't contribute," Artie deadpanned.

Puck was kept from turning Artie into a pancake when he noticed Finn starting to drift off again. "Dude, go to the nurse's office for some nap time. It's what I do instead of math class."

Finn wiped the drool from his mouth and shuffled out.

* * *

><p>When he came back in, he looked like a completely different person. "Hey guys, I can't wait to run through our number!" he declared, grinning like me.<p>

"Has your soul been taken over by caffeinated space aliens?" asked Artie.

Without a trace of sarcasm, Finn replied, "Nope,justvisitedtheshcoolnurse,.Ican''!"

"What kind of vitamin did you get?" Puck asked with trepidation.

"I'm guessing Vitamin C," Blaine deadpanned. "C for 'cocaine.'"

"No, Vitamin D, and I got you guys some," he tossed the box at Kurt.

Kurt looked at the box in his lap, then at the horrified look on Blaine's face. "No thanks," he said dryly, throwing it at the garbage can and missing.

Artie caught it and looked at it for a long while before opening it. "My body's already messed up," he said, grabbing a few.

"I really want better abs," Mike said, grabbing for the box Artie passed to him.

"I really want lines," Matt said, taking it when Mike passed it to him.

"It's not like I need performance enhancers, but," Puck shrugged and took a couple. He handed it to Blaine, who held up his hand in refusal. "Come on, don't be a g-oh, wait." He snickered and tossed the empty box in the trash.

* * *

><p>Of course, the puppy-like Blaine kept up with the wired boys, but Kurt, for all his intensity, ended up nearly two lines behind by the end. Finn was lead in "It's My Life," Artie was lead in "Confessions," and Mike led the dance. In the end, everyone cheered, but Will vocalized his disappointment in Kurt before turning to the girls and telling them, especially the stunned Rachel, that they needed to step up.<p>

* * *

><p>Blaine saw the jocks walk toward a so-far-unsuspecting Kurt and picked up his pace. If he could distract them, maybe they wouldn't throw Kurt in.<p>

His plan worked like a charm, with the added benefit of drawing Kurt's attention. "Are you okay?" the fashionista asked, peering in.

"Yeah," Blaine reached up, expecting Kurt to help.

Instead, Kurt pulled back. "Could you look for the empty box of Finn's vitamins while you're in there? I already checked the choir room, but the trash had been emptied."

Blaine grumbled, but obeyed. "Why do you want it?" he asked.

His only answer was a mysterious, "You'll see."

* * *

><p>"How did the boys get so good?" Mercedes wondered out loud a few minutes later.<p>

"The real question is, 'What were they on?'" Kurt said, entering the room.

"Spy!" Rachel yelled.

Blaine barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "We're not performing again, Rachel."

"Look, I may have performed with the boys," Kurt began.

"P-p-p-poorly," Tina stuttered.

Kurt heaved a dramatically long-suffering sigh. "My loyalty still lies strongly with you," he said. "So, I'm going to let you guys in on our secret, mostly because all my artistic decisions have been derided as too costly because they involve several varieties of exotic bird feathers, and they declined my offer to do their hair in cornrows," this last phrase was punctuated by a particularly murderous glare at Blaine, who clutched his curls.

"Hey, what's wrong with this?" Blaine asked, gesturing to his hair. Everyone except Rachel looked at each other and bit their bottom lips.

Rachel clapped and squealed, "Nothing!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "They took something," he paused for dramatic effect to make sure all eyes were on him again and pulled out an empty box from his pocket.

* * *

><p>Will looked up when the girls, Kurt, and Blaine walked into his room. "Is something wrong?" he asked, startled.<p>

"Yes," Kurt placed the box he made Blaine fish out of the dumpster this morning on Will's desk.

Will's eyes widened. "Were you guys all thrown in the dumpster this morning?" he asked.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No. Well, Blaine was, but that's not the point."

"Mr. Schue, the boys took uppers," Rachel said bluntly.

Whatever shock Will had been feeling up to that point was nothing compared to how he felt now. Of course, he'd feel worse later when he heard that Sue was co-director of Glee and Emma was engaged, but now, this was the most shocked he had ever been.

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, I copped out on the cliffhanger. -evil grin- Come on, forty-something chapters, you didn't expect me to reveal the truth this fast, did you?<em>

_Yes, I changed a lot of "Vitamin D." But really, I inserted a whole new character, it was only a matter of time before I completely remodeled an episode._

_Next time, we get another hefty dose of smut!_


	8. Haunted

_Thank you so much for your reviews! I am aonaoidhgasdkhv-ing right now._

_Alright, you get a huge clue at the end of this chapter. Seriously, a huge one, but only if you **pay attention**._

_Disclaimer: I don't own "Haunted" by Taylor Swift, and yes, I did change the lyrics a bit so they'd fit with the situation. Why don't I write my own lyrics to songs? I already do. And even though I mentioned I don't own the Doctor, I didn't mention I don't own the show, so here it is: I don't own "Doctor Who" in either of its incarnations. And for those of you wondering why this isn't listed as a crossover, it's because the Doctor has only appeared twice in eight chapters. If this were a show, he wouldn't even be listed as a guest star. Crossovers generally have two fandoms SHARING a story, and Glee dominates this one, so DW gets pushed to the side._

* * *

><p>Chapter VIII: Haunted<p>

Blaine had never met Sue Sylvester. Oh, sure, he had heard horror stories of the woman (anyone who knew what cheerleading was would also be familiar with her name) but he had never actually seen her in person. Judging by the looks on every face when he entered Glee Club the day after getting Terri the not-nurse fired, he really didn't want to. Of course, it was too late now.

A week later, he realized he actually kind of liked having Sue in the club. It mean that there were now two instructors hell-bent on getting the teenagers' approval.

"Anything?" Will asked desperately when no one offered thoughts on what they should perform at Sectionals. "Any music in particular that you guys want to do?"

Mercedes raised her hand. "Could we maybe try something a little more black?"

"I agree," the decidedly not-black Kurt sighed. "We do an awful lot of showtunes."

Blaine was about to comment on the ironic hypocrisy of the statement (and probably lose his boyfriend yet again) when Rachel flew into a frenzy. "It's **Glee **Club," she snipped, "not Crunk Club."

"Don't make me take you to the carpet!" Mercedes said threateningly.

Sensing the fight about to break out, Mike raised his hand. "I can pop and lock," he said eagerly.

"Not really what we're going for, Mike," said Will, for lack of anything better to say, "but noted!"

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine caught his boyfriend's attention, "do you want to do a duet?"

"That depends," Kurt sniffed. "What song?"

"How about Taylor Swift? W-one of my friends loves her about as much as I love Katy Perry," Blaine suggested.

Kurt pretended to consider this. "Alright," he nodded before raising his hand. "Mr. Schue, Blaine and I would like to sing a duet together for Sectionals."

It was a sign of how desperate Will was that he didn't even argue.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, the next time the boys went to class, Sue was there.<p>

"The following students," she read off a piece of paper from her clipboard, "have been selected for a special elite Glee Club called 'Sue's Kids!'"

"Uh, Sue, you do know that dividing up the club is against Sectionals rules, right?" Will challenged confidently.

Sue whipped out a copy of The Show Choir Rule Book and read, "Provision Fourteen, Addendum Two: Twelve members must perform for each team. However, not all members must perform every song."

"Fine!" Will threw his hands into the air. "Go ahead and take all the football players and your Cheerios."

Sue didn't even deign to answer him, preferring to call out, "Santana! Wheels! Gay kid! Asian! Other Asian! Half Asian! Aretha! And Shaft!" Santana, Artie, Kurt, Tina, Mike, Blaine, Mercedes, and Matt walked over to her tentatively, as if they were wary of stepping on live land mines the whole way.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Will spat.

"I wouldn't kid about this," Sue smirked and walked closer. "Maybe that's your problem—bigotry is no laughing matter."

"And that's how Sue sees it," Santana held up her hand in a C shape.

Sue turned to Santana with a bright smile. "Outstanding," she cheered.

Will was unable to do more than shake his head. Kurt and Blaine turned to each other for a second before stepping forward.

"We would like to practice our duet," they said together.

* * *

><p>"I'm k-k-k-kind of nervous," Tina stuttered.<p>

"I wasn't even sure if I should show up for this," Artie agreed. "I mean, it's our first rehearsal session with Sue **Sylvester**."

Mercedes shook her head. "I'm sure it'll be great, guys," she said reassuringly.

Behind her, Sue came in with what looked like the entire marching band, if the entire marching band played horn, in their fedora-y glory. "While I was lying awake thinking of ways to butter my bread with Will Schuester's hair, I thought of a song I believe will speak to the frustration you all felt under his failed leadership." She nodded at Matt, Mike, and Blaine to pass out sheet music.

Mercedes stepped forward to take the lead, Mike and Matt popped and locked to their hearts' content, Santana and Tina harmonized as usual, and Blaine and Kurt drove to Kurt's house to practice their duet. Or make out. Same thing, really.

* * *

><p><strong>[Smut warning!]<strong>

"Kurt, you're beautiful," he said, trailing kisses all around Kurt's neck. When he ran out of neck to kiss, he lifted Kurt's fuzzy angora sweater, then his shirt, over the boy's head and let Kurt do the same to his clothes.

Kurt blushed and drew away. "I can't believe you said that," he whispered shyly. Between kisses, he kept throwing out stilted phrases of warning. "If the anyone," kiss, "walks in," moan, "on us," shiver, "we're screwed."

Blaine stopped and Kurt made a sound of protest at the loss of kiss-age. "Well, looks like we'll just have to be screwed before they find us," he said with a wicked grin.

Kurt gave a gasp—whether in surprise or pleasure, Blaine couldn't tell—and slowly unzipped his jeans. Blaine let out a sound rather like a groan, palming his erection through his jeans. "Look, Kurt," he said when he regained his powers of speech, "you're very passionate. Let's see what that passion can do to both of us."

Kurt kissed Blaine this time. It wasn't the tentative kiss Blaine had expected from him, as if Blaine was going to be taken from him at any second. This was a full-body kiss, bold and seductive, their chests pressed together, one of Kurt's legs between Blaine's, Kurt's hands on Blaine's head and face, the touches setting him on fire. Blaine slowly eased Kurt's so-tight-they-might-as-well-be-painted-on jeans down. Kurt gasped when the cool air hit his legs, and then Blaine's hands claimed them as his tongue sought out Kurt's nipples. Kurt closed his eyes, body responding to the conflicting sensations. Wet and dry, soft and rough, hot and…hotter.

"Are you sure your dad's not going to be home for two hours?" Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded vigorously. "Blaine, please reattach your mouth to my body."

Blaine didn't want to do this halfway. If he was going to be Kurt's first time, he wanted to blow Kurt's mind. And he would start by kneeling on the floor, kissing Kurt's stomach while he slowly removed Kurt's underwear. Then he rolled them off Kurt's hips and pulled them down to the floor while his mouth followed, placing kisses one by one down the outside of Kurt's thigh. He kissed Kurt's feet, and the countertenor was startled at the jolt of lust he felt when Blaine licked his ankles. The anticipation, Blaine's slow-moving mouth, and the hands moving up and down Kurt's legs never stopped. Nor did he want them to.

Kurt had never been physically intimate before, no matter how much he might have wanted to be. He hadn't know this was what he was missing, but now that he did, he knew he had never craved anything more than he craved Blaine at this moment.

Blaine sensed the shift from romance to passion and began to kiss the inside of Kurt's thighs as the legs spread, seemingly of their own volition. Blaine's hands reached under Kurt, held his butt, and began to knead, fingers getting closer and closer to his hole. Kurt started to buck, just as eager for Blaine to explore him as Blaine was to do the exploring. Incapable of conscious thought, Kurt barely managed to open the drawer on his vanity. Apparently, being the son of a mechanic had its benefits, like a constant supply of lubricant.

Blaine was sure to rub plenty on his fingers before he slowly slid one in. Kurt's hands fisted on the comforter, and drew in his breath. "Do three," he murmured. Well, he tried to, anyway. It probably came out with less coherency and more cursing.

"You sure?" Blaine's voice was strained but concerned.

"Blaine, do it or die."

Blaine chuckled and suddenly he slid two more fingers in. Kurt couldn't exhale, couldn't breathe, couldn't think for the sudden surge of pleasure. He was closer than he'd ever been and wasn't sure how life could get any better than this.

Then Blaine's fingers found his sweet spot. Kurt went from simmer to boil so fast, he didn't even have time to bite back a cry as his orgasm exploded. He couldn't muster up the energy to do more than lie there and pant as Blaine pulled out with an unpleasant squelch and tried to muffle his groan as he curled up a little too late.

Kurt noticed Blaine's rock-hard penis through the boy's jeans and somehow managed to lean over and kiss the tip. Apparently, that was all it took. Blaine's entire body shuddered uncontrollably until he was lying next to Kurt.

"We need to do that again," Kurt said when he could speak again.

Blaine grunted in agreement, still not entirely capable of speech.

* * *

><p><strong>[You may continue reading.]<strong>

The good mood brought on by their post-orgasm bliss didn't completely dissipate until the boys sat down in front of Will's remaining Glee Club members to listen to "No Air." Blaine winced as soon as Finn got to the stage, and Kurt noticed.

"What's wrong?" he leaned over and whispered.

"Why is Finn singing the part of someone who was arrested for beating his girlfriend?" Blaine leaned over and whispered back.

Kurt looked at Blaine carefully. The tenor seemed tense. Unbidden, the words Blaine had spoken a few days ago in the bathroom came to mind. Kurt thought it sounded like his father had beaten him when he came out. Perhaps he should be worried.

"Hey, Blaine," Kurt reached out his hand, "you know you can tell me anything, right? If someone's bothering you, you can come to me and I'll do everything I can to fix it, alright?"

Blaine nodded and buried his face in Kurt's collarbone. He felt a hole he hadn't known was in his heart fill up with love, not all of the way, but enough for him to know what it was and what it could do. Enough for him to feel like maybe, this time, he could fix things.

Then Sue burst through the doors to the auditorium and Blaine reflexively covered his ears when she began shouting at Will.

"Is there a fire?" Finn asked. Blaine carefully uncovered his ears, fearing Sue.

"No," Sue replied sharply, "and that's the point. There is no fire." She shook her head. "It's sad enough that my Sue's Kids are living in squalor and probably on food stamps-" Mercedes' comment that her father was a dentist went ignored "-but for you to drag them in here and bore them to death? I won't stand for it. Come on, kids, out. We're going for Coneys!"

"What are-?"

"Hot dogs," Kurt answered Blaine's question before he could finish asking it.

Suddenly, Will began to yell again, and Blaine covered his ears, biting his lip because whimpering in public would probably draw too much attention. He closed his eyes and swallowed when Sue yelled back, and when Kurt noticed that his boyfriend was shaking, he stood up and bellowed, "Enough!" Everything stopped.

"If I wanted to hear Mom and Dad fight, those of us who still have two parents would just stay home on payday," Kurt reprimanded, lifting Blaine up so they could leave in the most attention-grabbing way possible.

"Kurt's right," Mercedes stood up in solidarity. "Glee club is supposed to be fun," she agreed, "and furthermore, I don't like this minority business. I may be a strong, proud black woman, but I'm a lot more than that. I'm out," she started to head for the door.

"M-m-m-me, too!" Tina moved next to Mercedes. The four could hear Rachel call out for uprising behind them.

"Fellow Glee Clubbers, it would be an honor to show you how a real storm-out is done! I encourage you to follow my lead."

Kurt scowled when the football players carried Artie and his wheelchair up the stairs. He wanted some time alone with Blaine to figure out what had happened. But as everyone began talking, he could tell that the already-frightened Blaine took even the cacophony of their friends' voices as shouting and began to tremble, pressed as closely to Kurt as he could. Unable to think of another way to comfort him, Kurt began to sing.

"_You and I walk a fragile line. I have known it all this time, but I never thought I'd live to see it break.  
>It's getting dark and it's all too quiet, and I can't trust anything now.<br>And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake.  
>Oh, I'm holding my breath, won't lose you again. Something's made your eyes go cold.<br>Come on, come on, don't leave me like this. I thought I had you figured out.  
>Something's gone terribly wrong. You're all I wanted.<br>Come on, come on, don't let me like this. I thought I had you figured out.  
>Can't breathe whenever you're gone, can't turn back now, I'm haunted."<em>

Blaine looked up at him, wanting more than anything to tell the truth, but he didn't know how to say it in a way that wouldn't bring up a flash of fury in Kurt's eyes and make him go on a rampage that would undoubtedly leave him dead at his father's hands. Just thinking of it made him think so vividly of a rapidly expanding pool of blood that he could smell it like it was Sunday.

"_Stood there and watched you walk away, from everything we had.  
>But I still mean every word I said, to you.<br>You can try to take away my pain and you just might make me smile.  
>But the whole time I'm wishing he could be like you instead.<br>Oh, I'm holding my breath, won't see you again. Something keeps me holding on to nothing.  
>I won't, I won't, I won't leave you like this. I thought I had it figured out.<br>Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted.  
>I won't, I won't, I won't leave you like this. I thought I had it figured out.<br>Can't breathe whenever you're gone, can't turn back now, I'm haunted."_

Blaine and Kurt pressed their foreheads together as an orchestra played in their heads. Their hands fumbled toward each other's, but couldn't seem to meet at the right time.

"_I know. I know. I just know. You're not gone, you can't be gone, no.  
>Come on, come on, don't leave me like this. I thought I had it figured out.<br>Something's gone terribly wrong, won't finish what's been started.  
>Come on, come on, don't leave me like this. I thought I had it figured out.<br>Can't breathe whenever you're gone, can't go back, I'm haunted. Oh."_

Kurt continued to sing as the music and his heart rate began to wind down.

"_You and I walk a fragile line. I have known it all this time."_

Blaine started to press Kurt closer, hoping to distract him with his voice somehow.

"_Never thought I'd see it break, never thought I'd see it-"_

"No!" Kurt pushed Blaine away. "Blaine, whatever this is, we have to talk about it!" Kurt said insistently. "You're not happy, I can tell."

Blaine swallowed and it seemed to be forever before he nodded. It was time to start changing things around here.

* * *

><p>"The violence gets worse tomorrow night," said Mike.<p>

"That bastard!"

"Why do you care? He's not** your** son," Mike was curious

"He's Blaine, and Blaine is my son, even if he's not. Now, how much time do we still have?"

Mike closed his eyes and concentrated. "Not enough for what you want to do," he sighed.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, giant clue for you guys. Seriously, giant clue up there. ^<em>

_Next time, we see what happens when Blaine has to choose between football and Glee Club (hint, it's not what you think he's going to pick. Then again, I can't read your mind, so maybe it is). Also, we see Mike and Blaine's mother of another...self, I guess, interact when they have clashing ideas. Also, the Doctor gets really, really pissed at her. All WILL be revealed, don't worry._


	9. Back to December

_Hey, guys, here I am. This took less time than I thought, since I'm writing so much to take my mind off less pleasant things that've happened since Mia and I physically separated (we're going to work through everything, because I love her and she loves me, but trust is one of those things that take years to build up but can be destroyed in a day). Anyway, enough of me unloading on you guys. Here's chapter 10. It half follows an episode, and half fills another glee angst meme prompt that is almost word-for-word Mike's dream sequence._

_On a much, much brighter note, four reviews! FOUR! I am so incredibly happy that you guys are reading this! Just a warning, though: there is some explicit non-con in this chapter, and no smut to make up for it. I'll make it up to you guys next time, unless you guys would rather have more plot than porn. Either way, drop me a review or a PM with what you want to happen. Pwetty pleathe?_

_Disclaimer: I don't own "Back to December." I did, however, have it sung to me._

* * *

><p>Chapter IX: Back to December<p>

"Blaine, who's hurting you?" Kurt's mouth was set in a thin line, and it was clear that he wasn't about to back down.

"Nobody," Blaine swallowed.

"You said your father hit you," Kurt remembered. "You tried to cover it up, but I heard you. I thought it was a mistake at first, but you've been dropping clues all year, haven't you, just hoping that someone would finally notice? Well, guess what, Blaine: I've noticed."

Blaine rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I don't know what you think is going on between me and my dad, Kurt, but I assure you, it's not what you think."

Kurt shook his head, but when he saw how close Blaine was to tears, he softened. "Alright, Blaine," he said. "I'm going to let this go for now because I can see that you're upset, but if I think you're in trouble, I won't hesitate to get involved."

Blaine looked pained, but he nodded. Kurt did as well, and walked away looking anxious.

That afternoon, Blaine had to go home and face the wrath of both his parents. His mother, of course, blamed the fact that her husband hated the entire family on her son and showed her displeasure with her fists, but it wasn't anything Blaine hadn't gone through a million times before.

That night, Blaine's father came into the house ready to swing. Seeing that his wife was already asleep, Cailean walked upstairs to hurt Blaine. Blaine looked away as if in shame. It wasn't anything he hadn't gone through a million times before.

What he hadn't gone through a million times before was his father sitting on the edge of the bed and started touching. And god, it hurt so much. He started to cry, but his father cuffed him over the head. Blaine immediately shut his mouth, but that wasn't what his father wanted either. Cailean grabbed a fistful of Blaine's hair and shoved his son's face in his own crotch. Blaine didn't understand for a moment, but Cailean refused to let go and Blaine reluctantly raised his hands to take off his father's slacks and underwear. He halted when he saw his father's twitching dick, but Cailean didn't care and thrust into Blaine's mouth harshly. Blaine gagged, too dazed from the horrendous pain in his head from where his mother had hit him earlier to be clever enough to maneuver around it.

He tasted his father leaking and it was the most awful, awful thing ever. He tried to back away, but Cailean hit Blaine again. It wasn't enough to kill him, but whether that made him lucky or unlucky remained to be seen. He wanted to be anywhere other than here, but he couldn't actually move, so he tried to picture himself with Kurt.

No, that would be disastrous. Even though Blaine still felt startled sometimes that Kurt was not taller than he was, he still felt like the boy was too small to ever take on his father, or to even meet him. Cailean and Lola had never exactly been accepting of his sexuality, and if he were to rub this in their faces, who knew what they might do to his boyfriend? No, Kurt could definitely never find out about this.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no!" Kurt was distressed when he walked into Glee that day, and for one heart-stopping moment, Blaine thought he knew what had happened with Mr. Anderson, how he had been dirtied. Then Blaine realized that Kurt was looking at Quinn, who was cleaning the slushie off Finn's face. "If Finn and Quinn get slushied, the rest of us are screwed," Mercedes said.<p>

As Quinn fretted about her lost social status, Will walked in. "Guys, Sectionals is coming up, and I know that you guys like mash-ups because they teach us that sometimes, two things that don't look like they belong together are actually pretty great together. So, I'm going to ask you guys to find a song to pair up with 'Bust a Move.'" Will then proceeded to perform it.

In the middle of the song, Kurt noticed Blaine's expression and walked over to him. "Are you okay?" he asked. Will noticed and started to pull Kurt away from Blaine, but Kurt brushed him off.

"Don't worry," Blaine pleaded. "Go dance. I'll talk to you at football practice," he lied.

Kurt looked reassured as he pointed to Will doing the splits and singing about a stacked girl. "Oh my god," he mouthed. Blaine smiled. Maybe today would be a good day.

* * *

><p>Or maybe it would absolutely suck.<p>

First, someone actually managed to cram Blaine's head into the toilet, making him fear he would drown before Kurt finally pulled him out. Then someone chucked a football at Blaine's head so hard it hurt almost as badly as seeing the expression on Kurt's face when said someone told Finn off for joining "Homo Explosion." When Kurt's "Single Ladies" victory was dismissed as nothing, Blaine didn't even realize he was going to start a fight until his fist was already in Karofsky's face.

"Alright!" Coach Tenaka broke up the fight. "Sidelines, now!"

Everyone trudged to the sides of the field and waited for Coach Tenaka to yell at them as they sat quietly. As it turned out, they were almost right, but none of them would be sitting quietly.

"I'm adding a new Thursday practice so YOU GUYS can act like a team!" he yelled.

"Thursdays is when Glee rehearses," Finn protested.

Coach Tenaka leaned down. "You like Glee, huh?"

Finn nodded, relieved that his coach was reasonable. "Yes, coach."

"Well, TOO BAD! This new practice is mandatory!" Coach Tenaka stood up. "Anyone who misses it is off the team."

"Then I guess I'm leaving," Kurt said, standing. "Come on, Blaine; let's get away from these close-minded bigots."

Blaine anchored himself with Kurt's hand and let the boy walk him out. Behind them, only three pairs of feet were shuffling behind reluctantly. Neither boy could resist turning around and seeing Puck, Mike, and Matt looking ahead determinedly, nor how Finn turned away immediately.

* * *

><p>The next day, Artie, Tina, Mercedes, Blaine, Kurt, and Rachel were all wearing raincoats as a slushie-wielder walked toward them. Tina, Artie, and Mercedes pulled up their hoods, but the slushie-wielder was already walking up to Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine, who were near Kurt's locker.<p>

Kurt sighed, as if resigned. "Go ahead," he lifted his hands in the air in surrender. "Throw it."

"I really don't want to, honestly," Finn said. "I know how picky you are about what products you use on your face."

Kurt closed his locker. "Look, I know how much pressure you're under from the football team, and they're probably still angry that I made Blaine, Mike, Puck, and Matt chose Glee over the team."

"Probably would have went over better if you guys didn't take all our football gear while we were in the showers," Finn's hand started to tip, but Mercedes, Tina, and Artie walked up to stop him.

"You better not throw that at him," Mercedes snarled.

"You might as well," Rachel sniffed. "You clearly don't care about the **losers** in Glee."

"Look, if I don't do it, the football players will kick the crap out of me," Finn's voice was strained by a panic that Blaine recognized all too well.

Decision made, Blaine took the slushie out of Finn's hands and splashed it across his own face. It was like being bitch-slapped by an iceberg. "Now, get out of here," Blaine said, "and take some time to think whether or not any of your friends on the football team would have done that for you."

Finn stood there, uncertain, as Kurt took charge. "Follow us to the day spa, stat!" he yelled, steering Blaine into the direction of the girls' bathroom.

Kurt washed the slushie out of Blaine's face reluctantly. "You know you're an idiot, right?" Kurt said absently.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Kurt," he said flatly, but with a warm smile on his face.

The next day, Finn carried a tray of slushies into the Glee room. Everyone but Blaine gasped and recoiled. However, Finn put the tray down on the piano and nervously faced the crowd. "Look, I know badly I've been treating you guys lately, and that's not fair. So, I'm going to do this right." He walked to the middle of the room and started to sing.

_I'm so glad. You made time to see me. How's life? Tell me how's your family. I haven't seen them in a while.  
>You've been good, busier than ever. Make small talk, work and the weather. Your guard is up and I know why.<br>Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind.  
>You gave me roses and I left them there to die.<br>So this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you saying, "I'm sorry for that night."  
>And I go back to December all the time.<br>It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine.  
>I'd go back to December, turn around and make it alright. I go back to December all the time.<br>These days, I haven't been sleeping, staying up playing back myself leaving  
>When your birthday passed, I didn't call.<br>And I think about summer all the beautiful times I watched you laughing to a funny song sung.  
>I realized I loved you in the fall. And then the cold came, the dark days when fear crept into my mind.<br>You gave me all your love and all I gave you was, "Goodbye."  
>So this is me swallowing my pride standing in front of you saying, "I'm sorry for that night."<br>And I go back to December all the time.  
>It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine.<br>I'd go back to December, turn around and change my own mind. I'd go back to December all the time.  
>I miss your tanned skin, your sweet smile, so good to me, so right.<br>And how you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry.  
>Maybe this is wishful thinking. Probably mindless dreaming, but if we love again, I swear I'll love you right.<br>I'd go back in time to change it, but I can't. So if the chain is on your door, I understand.  
>But this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you saying "I'm sorry for that night."<br>And I'd go back to December. It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you  
>Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine. I'd go back to December, turn around and make it all right.<br>I'd go back to December, turn around and change my own mind. I'd go back to December all the time. All the time._

After the applause died down, Artie was the first to notice Will. "Sorry none of us did our homework," said the wheelchair-bound boy. "We don't have a good song for the mash-up."

Will chuckled. "That's okay," he said reassuringly. "I've got all my club members back." Everyone pressed together for a group hug, except for Quinn. "Quinn," Will noticed, "are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" Quinn snapped. Blaine stopped Kurt from making a snarky comment. "I'm devastated. Now that I'm off the Cheerios, I'll start every day with a slushie facial."

Will looked sad. "I can't imagine what it would be like to have a slushie thrown in my face, but if you do, you'll have twelve members of Glee Club to help you clean up."

The Glee Clubbers looked at each other before each of them grabbed a cup to give Will a mass slushie facial. Will laughed, wiping sugary dye out of his eyes, but Blaine felt Mike's eyes on him and excused himself, shooting him a significant look.

Mike reluctantly followed the tenor to an empty hallway. "Alright, ask your questions," the dancer said dully.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Blaine asked heatedly.

Mike shrugged. "I did something I wasn't supposed to, and to make up for that, I have to look after you. It seems pretty simple, since I already know you."

"How?" Blaine was baffled. "We couldn't have spoken more than ten words together since I first transferred here."

Mike laughed. "Blaine, I know you from two years ago. Well, two years later. Wait, is it two years later or a year ago? Ugh. For something so powerful, Belinda sure is confusing."

"Oh, wow, you know, you know," Blaine paced. "Wait, Belinda? And how did you know I went back two years?" he had to stop and lean against a wall. "So, what happened? Why can't I remember?" he asked, not sure that his head was spinning just because of Mike's convoluted statements.

Mike's eyes widened. "So she **can** do it," he said wonderingly.

"Who can do what?" Blaine demanded.

Mike rolled his eyes. "I don't know what she did exactly," he said, "but I can tell you what I saw and what I did."

* * *

><p>Mike had a gift.<p>

He dreamt often and all of his dreams came true, not in a cheesy way. Usually, they were little things like what his friends were going to have for lunch or meeting a not-so-strange stranger on the bus. It wasn't as dramatic or as useful as the media liked to show. He had once had a dream where he was shaving in front of the bathroom mirror and cut himself, and the next week his family had moved to a house with the exact same mirror in the exact same bathroom. He had been so startled that his hand had slipped a little and he had cut himself. It was very, very lame. Sometimes, though he saw more serious things like Kurt being badly hurt while bullied, or one of his friends being tackled so hard during a game that they're hurt. He worked hard to stop those dreams from coming true and so far nothing too terrible had happened. But one night, he dreamt about Kurt and Blaine, whom, up until that point, he had only met in passing.

"_Can I come over tonight?" Kurt asked._

"_I need to go home," Blaine said. He sounded uncomfortable and looked even worse. Mike wondered if he was constipated and didn't want Kurt to know he had bowel problems._

"_Oh, alright," Kurt grumbled, but he leaned forward to kiss Blaine goodbye before the shorter teen had to drive home. The dream skipped ahead. Kurt disappeared, and Mike watched as Blaine entered the house, only to see Cailean standing at the kitchen counter holding Blaine's phone._

"_You left it here," Cailean's voice was full of quiet anger. "I saw your text messages," he walked up to his whimpering son with unnerving slowness. "Who the fuck is Kurt!" Cailean roared._

"_N-no one," Blaine's lie sounded bad, even to Mike's not-fully-there ears._

_Cailean flipped the phone open, hands shaking in anger, and he read off a few of the most explicit messages. "I thought I made it clear, Blaine, that you're far too damaged for anyone else, especially this little pretty boy."_

"_D-don't call him that," to his credit, Blaine's voice only broke once._

"_You love him?" Cailean's question was surprising._

"_Yes," Blaine's voice was quiet and full of fear, but also full of conviction._

"_You wouldn't love any other boy?"_

"_No," Blaine shook his head as Cailean drew himself up to his full height and Mike was struck by just how much smaller Blaine was compared to his father, a difference only compounded by Blaine's obvious terror as Cailean drew his fist back and swung it forward. Blaine let out the smallest hiss of pain, which Cailean callously ignored before beating him badly, much to Mike's impotent horror. Cailean's rage begat more rage, and soon Blaine was nothing but a bleeding mess on the floor, sobbing in pain._

_Cailean grabbed a knife and stood over Blaine's cowering body. "If you wouldn't love any other boy, all I have to do is get rid of him. So, where does he live?"_

_Blaine's eyes widened and he shook his head._

_Cailean shook him, and although it was clear that this hurt Blaine, the boy didn't speak. Cailean growled. "This knife is going into somebody," he said, holding it up threateningly, "and it's either going to be you, or Kurt."_

_Blaine looked Cailean in the eye. "Then I guess it's going into me."_

_Cailean made a mockery of laughter as he stabbed his son repeatedly, screaming insults constantly. Mike woke up, the image of Blaine laying on the floor, choking on his own blood and staring up at his father in terror burned into his mind. Mike immediately picked up his phone to ask Kurt if Blaine was still with him._

_Kurt said no, Blaine had gone home hours ago and why was Mike calling him so late?_

_Mike hung up immediately and drove to the Anderson residence. The sounds of Cailean screaming insults constantly as he finished murdering his son in an incredibly brutal way echoed in his head as he ran inside and shot a mauve gun into space, hoping it would reach the right person._

* * *

><p><em>A few of you were asking what role Mike played in the story, so I hope this answered some of those questions, if not all of them.<em>

_I didn't intend to give away half the plot in one chapter, but the next chapter answers a few more of the plot-pertinent questions. Or I can just throw in more smut. What do you guys say? -cough-review-cough-_


	10. Today Was a Fairytale Part One

_This is mostly plot. Like, seriously, there's a ton of plot. Don't worry, there will be smut next chapter. And you guys need to know what happened at the end of The Killers. If you don't want to read it, just know that Sam dies at the end._

_Four reviews, guys! I am so, so happy with this story. And I'm sorry I'm rewarding you all with this piece of junk. I'm just too tired emotionally to do anything else._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Today was a Fairytale" and I didn't write the episode "Wheels." Just know that this might be the last canon-compliant episode for a while._

* * *

><p>Chapter X: Today was a Fairytale<p>

"So what did you do?" asked Blaine.

"I fired out an SOS," Mike replied. "The Doctor answered it not half a minute later with another Sam and your mother, but not Lola Anderson."

So strong was Blaine's confusion that he didn't even wonder how a boy who had never met his mother knew her full name. "Okay, but how did she get me back here, and why is getting information out of you like pulling teeth?"

Mike gritted his teeth. "Look, I have no idea how they brought you back to life. All I know was that the Doctor told Pearl Rush to help her son—her son being you—by getting a bottle of nanogenes. I think she tripped, because there was a loud crash, and suddenly there's way too much light in the room for me to see anything but the fact that we were all back to 2008."

"So, it was second Sam, the mother I don't have, and the Doctor who made this happen?" Blaine sounded incredulous.

Mike shrugged. "Apparently, I'm a spin-off show."

Blaine actually found himself laughing at the off-hand way Mike announced it. "I'm sure you pull in the ratings."

Mike smiled. "This universe still exists, doesn't it? And as long as some viewer thinks about it or tells his or her children, we continue on. And we have several million viewers."

Blaine smiled and fleetingly wondered if Pearl's show continued to run, or if it was a lost cause as well, and what would he do if she disappeared? Would he disappear too?

Pearl tucked her son in lovingly before walking outside to make a particular phone call. She dialed a phone number that didn't consist of any number humans generally recognized, but didn't input a particular time, so the call went to the Doctor of her time. On Earth or not, it didn't matter; they wouldn't meet up; they were on different universes, unless he had gotten himself in monumental trouble, again. Actually, that seemed like all the Doctor ever did.

"Why, it's you!" he sounded different, as if he no longer had blue eyes and a thousand-mega-watt smile. Nevertheless, there was something in his tone, something so unmistakably Doctor-y that she knew it was still him.

"Hey, Doc-Boy," she said teasingly.

"Oh, come now, I didn't like that when I was in my ninth incarnation, surely you don't think I'd like it now."

"I've been keeping up with your adventures with Rose," Pearl's voice grew soft. "I'm sorry about that."

The Doctor shrugged. "Did you hear about Martha and Donna?"

Pearl blushed. "The writing on the show has gotten so damn awful, and plus Ohio's cable costs more, so I don't have the Sci-Fi channel anymore. Plus, they say you're on your eleventh incarnation with a woman named Amy."

The Doctor laughed. "Well, don't spoil my life show for me."

Pearl couldn't laugh, but the Doctor must have registered something in her face, because his next question was much less friendly. "What do you want?"

Pearl sighed. "I need you to take a friend of my son's on an intergalactic adventure," she admitted.

There was a clang on the other side, meaning this Doctor was much more inclined to suddenly sit bolt upright in shock. "Your **son**?" he asked incredulously. "But I thought you gave Rosalie Hale your ability to have children."

"Most places on Earth have this thing called 'adoption,'" Pearl's tone was bitingly affectionate.

She heard a chair groan as the Doctor sat back down on it. Her sensitized hearing registered the barely-there echo, and deduced that he was in the console room. She could use this to her advantage. "Look, Doc, you're already in the console room. This boy is going to die trying to save my son's life. Please?"

There was utter silence for a few seconds, but finally, the Doctor sighed. "You drive a hard bargain, little girl. Where do you want me to pick him up?"

Pearl found it difficult to breath. "A week ago, in Lima, Ohio. Please be just outside this motel room at 5:00 pm, when the boy will be home with his parents."

The Doctor gave a terse positive and hung up. Pearl pocketed her phone with shaky hands and took out a necklace. It was a silver, heart-shaped locket, dangling from a silken string, with a painted spray of hot-pink azaleas on it. All over the threads were little chips of bixbite.

Pearl pictured the motel Sam lived in last Friday behind shut eyes, whispered "Starla," and they opened, the door was in front of her. She knocked and immediately, Sam opened the door.

"Ms. Rush," Sam was surprised.

"Do you have life insurance?" Pearl asked.

Sam nodded. "Of course," he was puzzled by her question.

"Then you can come with me," she said, moving so that the TARDIS was visible. Sam's eyes bugged out and he threw out a stream of curse words. "I know, last time I leave my car to a teenage boy with nose piercings, right?" she winked. Sam understood and turned to his parents.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, can I sleep over at Blaine's tonight?" he asked.

"I have to go work on a case and I'd rather my son wasn't alone tonight," Pearl said, poking her head in. She turned on the charm, and neither Evans could refuse.

"Thanks," Sam grabbed his coat, a few toiletries, and a change of clothes before walking out with her. By the time they got to the TARDIS across the street, he was shaking.

"Wait," he put one hand on her arm. "Is this for real? I mean, am I really going to get to meet the Doctor?"

"Doctor Ten," Pearl nodded. "Sorry, he's the only one I could get."

Sam's grin grew bigger. "Are you kidding me, this is perfect! Will you marry me?" he asked.

Pearl laughed and unlocked the door before throwing them open. She took Sam's hand and led him in. He gasped and his legs buckled. Pearl barely caught him, but he didn't even seem to notice.

"This is even better than I could have imagined," Sam breathed.

Pearl laughed. "I'm glad," she said, setting him down on the Doctor's chair. Then a man who looked remarkably like David Tennant poked his head in. "Oh, there you are," he smiled.

"Hey, Doc-Boy," she grinned, walked forward, and gave him a hug with familiarity that made Sam's eyes bug out of his head.

"Are you two friends?" he demanded.

Pearl turned to Sam with a smile. "I'm not completely human," she admitted. "And yes, we are friends," she said, gesturing to the Doctor. "Well, I was friends with Nine. I'm not so sure about Ten."

The Doctor made a dismissive gesture. "We're friends. I might look different, but it's still me in here."

Pearl laughed and they held hands as they walked to the console.

Sam's eyes grew so big at the sight of their conjoined hands, it looked like they would fall out. "I wondered why you didn't look like you needed to get laid so much," he said, proving once again that there was no filter between his mouth and his brain.

"What does 'get laid' mean?" the Doctor wasn't familiar with American slang.

"'To engage in coitus,'" Pearl whispered back. She gave her attention to Sam. "I'm not boning Doc-Boy here, Sam. Our genitalia aren't compatible."

"Right," Sam nodded. "What species are you again?" he asked.

"I'm mostly human, but I wound up part-vampire," Pearl said.

Sam frowned and tilted his head off to one side. "How does that work?"

The Doctor and Pearl looked at each other. "Look, I brought him here for you, Sam," she said. "So, why don't you tell us somewhere you want to go?" she asked.

'"Avatar!'" Sam's eyes lit up.

Pearl frowned and leaned across the console. "What the hell is that?"

She thought it was impossible for Sam's eyes to be any wider, but she was wrong. "You don't know what 'Avatar' is?" he hissed.

"It's a movie, right?" Pearl and the Doctor said at once.

Sam suddenly calmed down. "Right, you guys can travel to different worlds. One major blockbuster movie on Earth isn't going to be that big of a deal when you can access major blockbuster movies on Mars, right?"

The Doctor and Pearl looked at each other again. "Um, Sam, there aren't any movie theaters on Mars," Pearl said gently.

Sam laughed, but stopped abruptly when the console started beeping, and a screen on it flashed mauve. Sam's eyes widened in worry. "Is that someone sending out a code for help?" he asked.

"Yes," the Doctor read the message. "We've got to help a Mike Chang find out where Blaine Anderson is lying down."

"Like his bedroom?" Pearl suggested.

The Doctor smiled at her gratefully, starting to flick switches and press buttons with precision and alarm. Pearl and Sam clung to each other to steady themselves until the TARDIS stopped shaking. They stepped out into Blaine Anderson's bedroom. Except, this couldn't be Blaine Anderson's bedroom, because it wasn't a garage.

* * *

><p>Blaine finally managed to take a breath when his father left his bed. That was the weirdest hallucination he had ever had, but it worked.<p>

* * *

><p>Kurt was absolutely seething. He had always had a faint inkling that Mike was gay. There was no way a person could dance <em>like that <em>and not be at least bisexual. That's why, when Glee was finally over and neither Blaine or Mike were there, Kurt was extremely upset.

Finally, Kurt cornered Blaine in the parking lot. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Blaine looked dazed. "Mike and I were thinking of being counselors at Asian Camp," he lied.

Kurt's eyes narrowed. He didn't believe what Blaine was saying for one second. He was going to have to do a lot of work the next few days. But he didn't know which exactly how much work there was going to be.

* * *

><p>While Tina watched Artie tie his shoe and Finn and Quinn argued about her daughter, Will entered with sheet music for yet another song for Sectionals. "I'm aware that we're used to covering pop songs," he said, "but I've done some research into past winners, and it turns out that the judges like songs that are more accessible."<p>

"'Defying Gravity?'" Kurt was delighted. "I have an entire iPod Shuffle dedicated to selections from _Wicked_," he leaned over to tell Blaine.

Will didn't even listen. "Rachel?" he turned to her as Kurt's smile faded.

"It's my go to shower song," Rachel said, immediately making Blaine and Kurt gag toward each other at the thought.

"I want to audition for the Wicked solo," Kurt said.

Everyone except Rachel clapped, and Blaine cheered loudly.

"That's nice, Kurt," Will said dismissively, "but this song contains a high F,"

"That's well within my range," Kurt said flamboyantly.

"Rachel's got it covered, Kurt," Will sounded annoyed. As he sat down, Kurt looked like he was about to cry. Blaine rubbed his shoulder soothingly.

"Now, we have another problem," Will said. "We don't have enough money for a special bus for Artie to ride with us at Sectionals. Now, I suggest…a bake sale."

The students looked like they had just seen poop floating in their punchbowl.

"You're joking, right?" Santana Lopez voiced everyone's thoughts when she snorted with disdain. "I mean, bake sales are kind of bougie."

"So, hip people stopped eating delicious, sugary treats?" Will smiled.

"It's not that, it's most of us," Brittany said, causing everyone to shove their fists in their mouths so they wouldn't laugh and get their asses kicked by Santana after school. "Don't know how to bake," she said. "I find," she searched for the word, "recipes," she searched for the description, "confusing?"

Everyone started raising complaints and Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Can't Artie's dad just take him?" she asked.

Will looked upset. "Do you guys know what teamwork is?"

"Of course we understand what teamwork is about," Quinn said insincerely, "but Artie undersatnds, don't you, Artie?"

Artie shrugged meekly "It's cool," he lied. "Anything that takes away from our rehearsals doesn't serve the team."

Blaine turned to the wheelchair-bound boy he had never spoken to. He had lied about his feelings enough times to know when someone else was doing the same. Before he could say anything, the bell rang and everyone shuffled toward the exits, including a less-than happy Kurt, who walked past Blaine without even looking at him. Blaine scowled and walked up to Will in full view of Artie.

"Mr. Schue, I have an idea," he said, thinking quickly. "There are two things that are keeping this club from behind a cohesive, supportive unit. One is a lack of understanding."

"What are you saying?" Will asks.

"I think, if we all got wheelchairs, we would understand Artie better," Blaine said.

"And what's the second?" Will asked.

"We're not motivated," Blaine said. "You give out solos and there's no need to ever try."

"What are you saying?" Will asked.

"I think you should let Kurt audition for 'Defying Gravity,'" Blaine said hopefully.

Will looked like he was going to tell Blaine the same condescending platitudes he gave Kurt, but Blaine interrupted by saying, "We can get wheelchairs cheaper if we buy used ones in bulk."

* * *

><p>"How did you find this place?" Artie asked.<p>

_My mother pushed me down the stairs and I broke both my legs and one arm. _"My old school did a play about polio," he lied. "We needed wheelchairs for everybody."

Will nodded and smiled as he and Blaine loaded the wheelchairs to the back of Will's car.

* * *

><p>"I'm very disappointed by all of your reactions to the news that Artie's father has to drive him to Sectionals," Will said.<p>

"Artie doesn't care," Mercedes insisted. "His dad drives him everywhere."

"I do care," Artie interjected. "It kind of hurt my feelings."

"We didn't think you'd take it personally," Rachel said obliviously.

"Well, you're irritating most of the time," Artie shot back, "but don't take that personally."

_Ten points for Mr. Abrams_, Blaine thought.

"Now, we're either all riding the handi-capable bus to Sectionals together, or we're not going to Sectionals at all. And not only will we pay for that bus through the bake sale, but for the next week, each of you will be required to spend at least three hours a day at school in a wheelchair," Will announced. He gestured to the door, where Blaine dragged the wheelchairs, each of them tied together, into the room. "Oh," Will added as if he had forgotten, "we're doing a wheelchair number!"

Artie and Blaine clapped (the latter admittedly with far less enthusiasm) as everyone else stared, stunned, at the chairs. Kurt only started to clap when he noticed that Blaine was looking at him pointedly. At least Blaine went out and bought some glitter and magazine cut-outs of Patti LuPone.

* * *

><p><em>I haven't seen the last two episodes, and I really want to know what part Kurt got in the musical. Could those of you who watched it tell me, pretty please? And maybe leave a review while you're at it? Thanks, you guys are the best! Seriously, these last few days have been absolute crap, but you guys just make it so much less crap. I am the luckiest writer in the world!<em>

_Next time, we finish up "Wheels" with a twist ending (you can probably already guess what the twist is going to be) and I will wait for hulu to have the newer glee episodes. Damn college and the fact that there are about two televisions in this entire campus!_


	11. Defying Gravity

_Yes, I am very aware that "Defying Gravity" isn't a Taylor Swift song, but it's so important to this episode that I couldn't **not** include the lyrics. Also, if this author's note is incoherent, it's 1:00 am where I am right now. But there is smut in this chapter in a shameless plug for more reviews. Seriously, I only got one review last chapter. ONE! Come on, guys, I know you're reading this!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own "Defying Gravity" or the musical "Wicked," which it's from. Although, if you didn't know that last part, you have clearly never seen "Glee" and, in that case, welcome to my story!_

* * *

><p>Chapter XI: Defying Gravity<p>

"How come you get to skip on the wheelchair treatment?" Kurt complained as Blaine pushed him down the hall, carefully so Kurt didn't have various backpacks, guitar cases, and baseball bats slammed into his face like the lucky Finn nearby. Nor did Kurt get a plateful of cream of mushroom pasta in his face like Rachel because Blaine grabbed his lunch for him. He also didn't have eighteen dollars left over from dip and nunchakus like Puck, but he was also not doused with raw eggs, sugar, and whatever else was in cupcake batter.

"Oh, stop," Blaine said, "or I won't push you around anymore. Look, Mr. Schue thought that, since I came up with the idea, I already understood the lesson, so buying another wheelchair would be unnecessary expense."

"Fine," Kurt pouted as they entered the room. His playful frown turned real when he saw Rachel getting ready for his _Wicked_ solo. Blaine noticed.

"Hey, Kurt, do you need help at your dad's auto shop this week?" Blaine whispered in the boy's ear. "I know you have a lot of new clothes you want to try out."

Kurt finally smiled.

* * *

><p>"Where are the donuts with the jelly cream center?" Burt asked, looking sad.<p>

"Oh," Kurt looked guilty, "I guess I forgot."

"What's up with your brain today?" Burt wondered with a joking smile. "I think it's going soft from all that crap you put in your hair."

"It's **organic**," Kurt sniffed, "and I'm **fine**." He wasn't in the mood to joke around. At the significant look from both Burt and Blaine, Kurt realized his unnecessarily prissy tone. "It's Glee Club thing," he admitted.

"It's not about a guy, is it?" Burt shot the back of Blaine's head a worried and murderous look. "'Cause I'm not ready to have that conversation," he added, turning back to Kurt, concerned.

"At least you don't have to worry about me getting someone pregnant," Kurt smiled glibly.

Burt looked at his donut as if it put the poop in the punchbowl before putting it down.

Kurt sighed. "We're doing this amazing song for Sectionals—a personal favorite of mine—and Mr. Schuester won't give me a chance to sing it."

"Why?" his father asked suspiciously.

"It's traditionally sung by a girl," Kurt explains.

"Well, you sing like a girl," Burt said with a shrug. "You know, in a good way," he added.

"Sorry to butt in, but I heard Lauren Zizes just joined the wrestling team," Blaine said. "Why can't you cross over in the other direction?"

"Her parents had to sue the school," Kurt said glumly.

"This is really getting you down," Burt saw his son's gloomy expression.

"I'm full of ennui," Kurt nodded.

"So, it's…**really** getting you down?" Burt looked confused.

When Kurt nodded, Burt turned to Blaine with a question in his eyes. Blaine nodded.

* * *

><p>The next day, Will announced that Kurt and Rachel would be competing against each other for the privilege of singing "Defying Gravity" at Sectionals, and the other eleven members would vote for who had the best interpretation.<p>

"Mr. Schue, this is going to turn into a popularity contest," Rachel protested.

"Mr. Schue, if I may," Kurt wheeled himself to the front with envious elegance. "Everyone, raise your right hand. No, your right hand, Brittany," he corrected the non-pregnant blonde cheerleader. "Now, repeat after me, 'I promise to vote for the person who sings the best.'"

"I promise to vote for the person who sings the best."

The bell rang. Rachel wheeled herself in front of Mr. Schue and said snippily, "Maybe one day you'll be able to create teaching moments without ruining my life."

* * *

><p>"Are you coming, Kurt?" Blaine asked.<p>

"No," Kurt shook his head. "You go ahead. I'm going to practice," he said.

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked. "I can stay and help you if you want," he offered.

Kurt smiled. "I'm so glad I met you," he said. "You're the best boyfriend anyone could ask for."

Blaine blushed. "Well, thanks, Kurt. I try." _Hindsight makes everything better._

"Well, don't work yourself too hard for my dad, okay?" Kurt kissed Blaine's jawline, then his neck, tongue and mouth claiming every inch of the other boy's flesh as they edged their way to the top of piano. Kurt licked at the tender hollow spot between Blaine's clavicles, sending a jolt of electric-charged desire through his boyfriend's body and making him chuckle softly.

* * *

><p>"You sound pleased with yourself," Kurt said, his voice sounding nothing like him.<p>

"I am," Blaine said, drawing Kurt's earlobe into his mouth, "with you," he nibbled, "with us," hi touched her everywhere. His fingers seemed to know exactly which muscle to massage hard, which to skim, and which to kiss, which annoyed Kurt. He wanted to explore Blaine, but his skin was hot and flushed and they both already had their pants off. When had that happened? Kurt couldn't remember. He felt drunk, even though he knew he hadn't drank anything. Rather than thinking any more, he reached down to the floor.

It wasn't until he pulled his wallet out of his jeans that Blaine realized what he was doing. Blaine had never paid much attention when his father had put on a condom in the past. It had embarrassed him and he didn't want to think about it. Now he found himself watching, intrigued, and feeling playful. He reached out and put his hands on Kurt's as the pale boy rolled the condom on Blaine penis.

Wait, why were their hands shaking? He was always so confident in life, so positive he could make Kurt happy, and it seemed like he did. Besides, Kurt made him more comfortable with sex than anyone. Was Kurt nervous?

Actually, it was quite the opposite. Kurt was emboldened as he pushed Blaine's hands away and finished rolling the condom on Blaine's penis before running his fingers lightly over the quivering base, so solid, but covered in warm, soft skin. Kurt surprised himself again when he leaned down and kissed the tip. Blaine's legs started to shake

"You do that," Blaine said through clenched teeth, "and I'm going to completely lose it."

Kurt urged Blaine back down on the piano, his mouth open and seeking Blaine's. They kissed as if it would be the last time. Kurt didn't understand how Blaine's touch, scent, or fingers could do what they did as they prepped him, but this time he didn't cum from that alone. He wanted more. He could never get enough of Blaine. He never **wanted **to get enough. Blaine could make love to him daily and Kurt would enjoy it each and every time. Blaine's fingers touched Kurt at just the right spot, as if they had a mind of their own. Kurt pictured Blaine's cock in his butt and he couldn't hold back, even though he kind of wanted to. See, Kurt had always been on top, more comfortable when he was in control. He hesitated, just a fraction, but Blaine was so in tune with Kurt's body and emotions that he knew what his boyfriend had thought, whispering in his ear, "Just say the word, Kurt. I'm yours, any way you want."

Kurt kissed his hard, Blaine's understanding and faith in the countertenor overwhelming and so appreciated. "Just like this," he managed to say.

The fingers pulled out and Kurt let out a whine, wiggling his hips against Blaine's penis. Blaine thrust into Kurt quickly, and the boy gasped from the sudden invasion. Blaine held himself still, his other hand clasped in Kurt's, a bead of sweat dripping from his chest to Kurt's back, until Kurt relaxed. Then Blaine started to move within Kurt, slowly at first, the wonderful wave Kurt was becoming familiar with every time he and Blaine were together growing quickly. They developed a rhythm that was both new and familiar; they were still exploring, but amazingly perceptive as they each anticipated the changes within the other.

Blaine knew he wasn't going to last, not with Kurt beneath him for the first time, not with the trust and faith he'd placed in Blaine as overpowering as the actual sexual combustibility burning between them. "Kurt," he breathed into Kurt's neck as he stretched up and stared at Kurt's glowing face, blue eyes closed, red mouth open, perfect skin flushed as the smooth body kept pace with Blaine's increased tempo. Blaine groaned as his orgasm hit, wishing he could have held off until Kurt was done, but the sophomore had completely undone him. Blaine rocked against Kurt, bringing the boy completely to his peak, watching as his chest rose and his back arched. The muscles in his ass squeezed so hard, it would have hurt Blaine if it didn't feel so extraordinarily good. Kurt's entire body froze and he let out a quiet cry as his pleasure poured through him. Then, simultaneously, every one of his muscles relaxed. Blaine kissed Kurt, then he kissed him again.

"We have to clean up the piano," he said regretfully.

* * *

><p>Blaine was in such a deep state of bliss when he walked into Hummel Tires &amp; Lube that he didn't even mind that he was sore from exertion. Burt continued talking to his customer as the phone rang, and the man motioned for Blaine to get it. As he did so, Blaine remembered what Kurt had told him year and years ago.<p>

"I don't have a son," Blaine said before the caller could say anything, "so you don't have to tell me Kurt's gay."

"You're a fag too, aren't you?" the voice taunted.

"Yes," Blaine's heart leapt to his throat.

There was a pause, and then, "You're all going to burn" before the phone clicked off. Blaine hung up in confusion.

"What was that?" Burt asked.

"Uh, just a wrong number," Blaine lied smoothly.

Burt nodded, not as familiar with Blaine as he was with his own son yet. "Um, listen, Kurt should be home soon. I'm thinking it's about time you did the same," he said.

"Alright," Blaine said, grabbing his keys. He needed time to think over the new threat. But he wasn't so far gone that he missed Kurt's cheerful greeting just as he turned left toward his car. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and Kurt screamed. Blaine turned to the right and saw a Molotov cocktail aimed for his car. Blaine thought of how terribly his mother had beaten him when he had crashed his car in what had been two years ago, just hours after this second. But this was infinitely worse.

"Kurt!" Blaine ran back and tacked the boy just as the sound of fire breaking glass was heard. Both boys landed on the concrete, and before Kurt or Blaine could catch their breaths, they were hauled inside by Burt and his customer.

"Flamers!" someone, most likely the person who bombed the car, yelled.

"Cowards!" Kurt yelled back. He looked ready to go after the car from which the epithet was hurled, but both Blaine and Burt held him back.

"Come on," Burt said, steering him back inside.

"Dad, I can't just let him get away with this!" Kurt argued. "The jerk ruined my boyfriend's car!"

"Hey, Kurt, look, nobody pushes the Hummels around, alright? And hey, how many other guys can hit a Cool A or High C?" Burt asked.

"High F," Kurt corrected.

"Right," Burt nodded, "but right now, your boyfriend looks like he's going to cry, and remember how badly I handled it when Sheila started crying?"

Kurt nodded, thinking of what had happened when Sheila's boyfriend texted her to break up with her. She had started crying and Burt had acted like a dithering fool. If it wouldn't have been so incredibly rude, Kurt would have laughed, but there was nothing comical about this. "Okay, dad," he said shakily as he walked over to Blaine and sat beside him.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said hastily, wiping his eyes.

"Don't be," Kurt replied immediately, reaching his arms across his boyfriend's shoulders. "It shouldn't have happened to you. It shouldn't happen to anyone."

Blaine nodded and sniffed again. "I'm glad you're okay," he said.

Kurt turned back to the car and a strange expression came over his face. He stood and it resembled the rebirthing of a phoenix: beauty from fire and ashes. "Something has changed within me," he belted, "something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game."

"Too late for second guessing," Blaine continued, "too late to go back to sleep. It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes," he actually did so, "and leap."

Together, they sang, their hands creeping toward each other's almost unconsciously "It's time to try defying gravity. I think I'll try defying gravity. Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity, and you won't bring me down."

"I'm through accepting limits," in the choir room, Kurt sounded no less fabulous that he did at his father's shop, "'cause someone says they're so."

"Some things I cannot change," Rachel glared at Kurt as she sang, "but till I try I'll never know." She turned to Finn. "Too long I've been afraid of," her eyes briefly met Quinn's, and the cheerleader blushed, "losing love I guess I've lost."

"Well, if that's love, it comes in," Kurt looked at Blaine with a warning in his eyes, "at much too high a cost. I'd sooner buy defying gravity. Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity. And you won't bring me down," he glared at Rachel, much to Santana's evil delight. "Bring me down," Kurt continued, "oh, ah-ah-ah."

Kurt bowed, and immediately everybody except Finn gave him a standing ovation.

"Kurt, that was incredible," Blaine said, still clapping as he approached his boyfriend.

"I'm going to have to agree," Will said, clapping the countertenor on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Kurt; you're singing 'Defying Gravity' at Sectionals."

Rachel stormed off, but nobody cared. Except Finn, who ran out after her.

* * *

><p>"How do you feel?" Blaine asked.<p>

"Accomplished," Kurt smiled. His smile slipped as he remembered that he would have to carry all his books home by himself today; Blaine lived quite far away in the direction opposite Kurt's, and Kurt felt immediately guilty. Blaine's car had been destroyed, and all he could think about was that his text books were heavy?

"See you tomorrow, Kurt," Blaine smiled.

"Right," Kurt nodded, his returning smile strained. He felt an inexplicable panic rise in his chest at the thought of Blaine leaving, going back home. Why? What could possibly be going on? Kurt lingered behind, not wanting to walk home until he regained his control over his emotions. It was his meandering stroll around the halls that led him to walk directly into Mike Chang.

"Hey, Mike," Kurt smiled thinly.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" Mike asked.

Kurt shrugged. "Something's…off," he muttered. "With Blaine," he clarified when he saw Mike's expression. The expression didn't change.

"Oh my gosh, you've figured it out?" Mike asked. He grew anxious. "You realize that we're two years in the past too?" How could Kurt have figured it out?

Kurt froze. "What?" he asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Mike covered his face with his hand as he considered the best way to explain this. "I called you, remember?" he recalled the bright tornado that had kept the Doctor, Pearl, the other Sam, Blaine, and himself in its eye.

"When did you call me?" Kurt demanded. Mike's answer dropped him to the floor.

"An hour before we went back two years."

_The phone…"Is Blaine with you?"…a muttered curse._

And just as quickly as this flashed through Kurt's mind, it disappeared, but there was no denying that it had been there. "Mike, what happened?"

* * *

><p><em>Another cliffhanger? Yup! And n<em>_ext time, there will be more smut, and more plot. I think I should include the three Warbler songs (with Blaine) that didn't appear on the show but were on the CD. And apparently, I could get a Warblers CD that was signed by Darren Criss for the "bargain" price of $100+. Bleh._


	12. Today Was a Fairytale Part Two

_This takes place right where the last chapter left off. There's no smut in this chapter, mostly because Finn is a cockblock. Also, this story is dedicated to finchelklaine because she has consistently reviewed every chapter and makes me feel good about myself, and for pointing out the absolutely **giant **hole I left out of the first draft of this chapter._

_Disclaimer: I own "Glee," Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, and... -wakes up- dammit!_

* * *

><p>Chapter XII: Today was a Fairytale (Part Two)<p>

Mike had no idea how to answer. Luckily, he didn't have to. Kurt's phone rang and he immediately ran outside.

"The police are here?" Kurt spoke to his father over the phone. "Okay, I'll be right there," he didn't even spare his father a backward glance as he left.

"Thank you for coming, officers," Kurt's father nodded to Detectives Briana Sai and Oleksander Gadhavi.

"It's our job," said Det. Gadhavi. "What seems to be the problem?"

Burt gestured to the smoking hunk of metal outside, and Det. Gadhavi's mouth fell open.

"Wow," he said, "I don't even know what to say."

"Then don't say anything," Det. Sai said while pulling out a memo pad. "Did you see anyone when the car caught fire?" she asked.

Burt turned to his son's boyfriend. "Blaine?" he asked.

"I saw another car," Blaine murmured, looking down.

Det. Sai nodded and wrote this down. She couldn't help but feel like she had seen this boy before. Meanwhile, Det. Gadhavi looked closely at the car. Noticing the shattered pieces of a bottle underneath the wreck, he called for the Crime Scene Unit to take the pieces carefully. Then he sighed; he felt like he had failed this boy, and he should have been here earlier in 2011.

2011? That would be later, not earlier. What was wrong with him?

"What did the car look like, Mr. Anderson?" Det. Sai asked.

Blaine looked up, terrified, before taking a calming breath and looking sheepish. "Oh, it was a gold Cadillac," he answered.

"Do you remember the license plate?" Det. Sai asked. Blaine shook his head. "Okay, did you see the driver?" she continued.

"I heard him," Blaine said quietly.

"Heard?" Det. Sai was confused.

Blaine beckoned Det. Sai closer, and the woman leaned her ear next to Blaine's mouth. "He called the store and said that gay boys would burn," Blaine whispered. Then he pointed to the phone.

"So he called you," Det. Sai nodded and leaned back to look at the phone.

"Could we pull your call logs?" Det. Gadhavi asked Burt, who nodded. "Great, we can trace the number back to the bomber."

"Bomber?" Kurt raised his head, eyes terrified.

"Yes," said Det. Gadhavi. "Molotov cocktails are considered bombs."

Kurt slipped his hand in Blaine's. Both boys were unusually pale.

"We'll check back up with you guys," said Det. Sai, closing her notebook. Det. Gadhavi walked out with her and, when they climbed into their police car, pulled her aside.

"I think there's something wrong with the Anderson kid," he said.

* * *

><p>Blaine was almost getting used to his out-of-body experiences. Almost.<p>

* * *

><p>Sam exited the TARDIS singing. The Doctor and Pearl looked at each other and rolled their eyes, but both human and Time Lord had to agree that Sam had a damn good voice. He directed the first part at the Doctor.<p>

_Today was a fairytale, you were the prince. I used to be a squire in distress  
>You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six. Today was a fairytale. Today was a fairytale.<em>

The next part was directed to Pearl.

_Today was a fairytale, you wore a dress. I wore a dark grey t-shirt.  
>You told me I was clever when I felt like a mess. Today was a fairytale<em>

Now Sam leaned against the TARDIS, patting the blue wood affectionately. The Doctor and Pearl sang behind him.

_Time slows down whenever you're around. Can you feel this magic in the air?  
>It must have been the way you helped me. Fell in love when I saw you standing there<br>It must have been the way today was a fairytale. It must have been the way.  
>Today was a fairytale. Today was a fairytale.<em>

The song stopped and the three grew more aware of their surroundings. Sam was the first to speak. "This isn't his bedroom," he said.

Pearl grinned. "I knew it," she whooped. The Doctor and Sam glared her into silence. She rolled her eyes, which was why they landed on the dark, viscous puddle on the floor.

"Is that blood?" Pearl pointed with a shaking finger.

* * *

><p>When Blaine and Kurt walked (okay, only Kurt walked—Blaine mostly limped) into the music room, "ballad" was written on the whiteboard.<p>

"The word 'ballad' is from Middle English," said Will. "Do you know what it means?"

Brittany raised her hands. "Actually, Middle English stole it from Old French, which stole it from Old Provencal." Everyone stared at her. "It's a male duck."

Everyone turned away. "It's a love song, isn't it?" Kurt looked at Blaine with adoring eyes.

"Well, a ballad can be a love song," Will conceded, "but what a ballad really is, is a story set to music. They're perfect for self-expression. Stories and music are the way we express feelings that we can't get out any other way. Now, sections are in a few weeks, and there's a new rule this year that requires each choir to sing a ballad. Now, to get you kids in the ballad-singing mood, I'm going to pair you off."

Finn raised his hand and cemented his position as the male Brittany. "Can I sing with Quinn?"

"Actually, Finn, fate will pick your partners," Will corrected. "I've written everyone's names on pieces of paper and put them in this hat," he held up said hat.

"I bet the duck's in the hat," Brittany whispered to Santana.

A few minutes later, Puck was paired with Mercedes, Quinn with Artie, Blaine with Matt, Tina with Mike, Brittany with Santana, and Kurt with Finn.

"Mr. Schue, I can't sing to a dude," said the jock.

"Fate will not be denied, Finn," Will refused to let him change partners. Then he realized that he would be paired with Rachel. "Maybe we should organize a trio," Will said nervously.

"Fate will not be denied, Mr. Schue," Finn deadpanned.

"So, what are we supposed to sing?" Artie asked.

"I think I have the perfect song," Rachel said. She grabbed Finn and forced him to face Kurt as she faced Will. "Brad, 'Endless Love' in B-flat, please."

"Rachel, I don't think 'Endless Love' is really an appropriate song," Will intervened.

"It's the perfect ballad," Rachel ignored him and practically preened herself. Will saw that the rest of the club agreed with her, and backed off gracefully.

When the song started, Kurt was glaring at Finn. But afterward, his face started to soften and Blaine grew worried. For all his interventions, would history merely repeat itself? He was so lost in his anxiety that he didn't notice Finn staring at Rachel's butt, nor Quinn glaring at the tall boy for doing so, Puck scratching his balls, or Rachel's frightening stare, which shifted from Finn to Will.

"I could totally sing this song with Finn," Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear. "But screw him if he thinks he's taking the Dianna Ross part from me."

Blaine was now officially freaking out. He didn't even notice Will's look of panic.

* * *

><p>"Sing to me everything you feel," Kurt told Finn. They were alone in his house, preparing for the ballad assignment.<p>

"Look, I can't sing to a dude, unless it's a song about how freaked out and uncomfortable I am," he half-yelled. "I'm sick and tired of people pushing me to be somebody I'm not!"

"Your lashing out at me is fantastically compelling and inappropriate."

"Sorry for the yelling," Finn looked ashamed. "I'm under a ton of pressure."

"Girls," Kurt shook his head. "They're your problem. They're up, they're down. Girls," he bit his lip, looking guilty.

"I can't believe I'm never going to know my own daughter," Finn paced. "She won't ever know that I really did love her and wanted to take care of her."

"Let it all out," Kurt walked forward and patted Finn's shoulder.

Finn looked at the hand like it was a poisonous snake. "What are you talking about?"

"You should express your feelings through song," Kurt said softly. But at school, he needed Blaine's help to play "I'll Stand By You," so their relationship lasted another day.

Sort of.

"You're wrong, I'm right. I'm smart, you're dumb," Quinn freaked out when Finn told her that Carole knew about the baby, despite his best efforts to reassure her that Carole wouldn't tell Mrs. Fabray. A few feet away, Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, and Blaine were watching. Tina was complaining about the baby drama until Mike walked up behind her and gave her a surprise hug, Mercedes was feeling bad for them, Kurt saw an incredible opportunity, and Blaine stormed off. Seeing his boyfriend leaving, Kurt felt a surge of anger and walked toward Finn.

"How do you explain her constant irritation with you?" Kurt asked Finn rhetorically. "It's because she's a girl."

"I think it's the pregnancy hormones," Finn said, unsure of what he was saying.

"It's enough to make you want to give up women altogether," Kurt continued to trash the entire female population.

Finn laughed with Kurt half-heartedly. "Hey," his voice grew unexpectedly mature. "I owe you one, dude." And then he walked away in the same direction as Blaine, and in the same hallway. Kurt stared after them, thinking hard.

_Okay, I'll admit it. I was once madly in love with Finn. I had been since the first time we met. _Kurt remembered Puck shoving Kurt against the lockers and Finn berating the Mohawked teen for his lack of impulse control. _If it weren't for Blaine, I would have believed that Finn and I have bonded over Glee. And football. And skin care. _He thought of when he warned Finn, "Your t-zone is dangerously dry," and Finn had glanced nervously down at his crotch until Kurt gestured to the t-zone on his face and given Finn some moisturizer. _I don't know why I found his stupidity charming. I mean, he's cheating off a girl who thinks the square root of 4 is "rainbows," while Blaine tutored Brittany into at least writing a number instead of a noun. I guess that's puppy love for you. I know it seems weird that I'm helping Finn with Quinn, but rest assured; it's all part of a master plan. No matter what I do, or how much I assist him with his ballad, she's going to end up disappointing him and breaking his heart. And then, Blaine will see him crying into my shoulder pads. _And at that, Kurt pulled out his phone and texted Blaine. _I love you._ He didn't text that he missed his mother.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to the Fabrays' house for dinner," Finn told Kurt.<p>

"Good thing you came to us," Kurt clapped and moved his arm to draw Blaine closer. "We are such good fashion consultants, we should charge. But, since you're a Glee buddy, you get our first-class services for free," he said without a trace of irony.

"Um, sure," all the words longer than two syllables flew right over Finn's head as he pulled out an old trunk. "These are some of my dad's old clothes," he said, voice thick. "Mom never threw them away," he lifted the lid and ran his hands reverently down Mr. Hudson's military uniform.

Kurt's eyes were dark and heavy. "Dad can't throw away mom's stuff either," he said. Now Blaine drew his arm around Kurt's shoulders.

Finn suddenly busied himself with looking through the trunk for clothes. He pulled out a suit jacket and held it up to his chest.

"That's not half-bad," Kurt said with a steely glint in his eye as he pulled away from his boyfriend. He dug through the trunk too, and pulled out two ties. He got the opportunity to touch Finn when he helped the hulking boy decide between said ties.

Finn snorted. "Dad was brave enough to fight in some desert thousands of miles away, and I can't even go out to Dudley Road and tell the Fabrays the truth."

"Your father didn't fight empty-handed," Kurt said tenderly. "He had a weapon."

"You think I should bring a gun?" Finn was surprised.

"No, Finn," Kurt sounded exasperated. "I'm speaking of metaphorical weapons."

"He means your voice," Blaine cut in before Finn's mind went (invariably) to his penis and he could convince himself that Kurt was referring to that. *******

As Rachel and Suzy Pepper stormed off in opposite directions, Mercedes and Tina discussed their relative positions on school campus and the pregnant hamster in Mercedes' biology class. The African diva cut their conversation short when she spotted Puck outside the music room, waiting to practice their ballad with her. Tina sighed and hung up as well, turning around to find Mike.

"How are you always exactly where I need you?" Tina asked with a wondering smile.

"I can see into the future," Mike said. Tina giggled and their hands brushed against each other before she withdrew into herself again. *******

Kurt and Blaine were in their room, once again making out, and Kurt had finally sprung Blaine's erection free of his pants when his phone rang and Finn's picture appeared on the screen of his phone.

"Dude, I'm freaking out," Finn said, cockblocking. "What does a heart attack feel like?"

"Remember the power of the ballad," Kurt said.

Finn sighed. "I have to go," he said. "They'll think I'm pooping."

Kurt hung up and looked at Blaine's limp penis in his hand. "Sorry," he said.

Blaine smirked. "Power of the ballad, remember?" he touched Kurt's cheek.

Kurt leaned up to kiss Blaine before he started to sing.

_You've got a smile that takes me to another planet. Every move you make, everything you say is right.  
>Today was a fairy tale. Today was a fairytale.<em>

Blaine smiled and held his boyfriend close when it was his turn to sing.

_All that I can say is now it's getting so much clearer. Nothing made sense until the time I saw your face.  
>Today was a fairytale.<em>

Now they sang together as they danced around Kurt's bedroom in the basement.

_Time slows down whenever you're around. But can you feel this magic in the air?  
>It must have been the way you kissed me. Fell in love when I saw you standing there.<br>It must have been the way today was a fairytale. It must have been the way today was a fairytale._

Kurt shut up and let Blaine sing, feeling as though there was an orchestra behind him.

_Time slows down whenever you're around. I can feel my heart.  
>It's beating in my chest. Did you feel it? I can't put this down.<em>

Now it was Kurt's turn to sing to Blaine as if he had the spotlight trained on him on a stage.

_But can you feel this magic in the air? It must have been the way you kissed me.  
>Fell in love when I saw you standing there. It must have been the way.<em>

Now both boys collapsed back on the bed and kissed before singing to each other a capella.

_But can you feel this magic in the air? It must have been the way you kissed me.  
>Fell in love when I saw you standing there. It must have been the way today was a fairytale.<br>It must have been the way today was a fairytale. Today was a fairytale._

"So her dad gave her thirty minutes to pack up before leaving," Finn sighed.

"I'm sorry," Kurt actually looked apologetic. "It was my plan that caused the problem."

"No," Finn shook his head. "I'm glad not to have any more secrets. Now," he stood, "we should work on our ballad. So, what's the song?"

Kurt shook his head. "Blaine and I've decided to pair you up with Matt," he said. "I know how uncomfortable you get around me," he said with a mixture of coldness and sorrow.

Luckily, Mercedes saved the boys from killing each other by forcibly dragging both of them to the auditorium, where Finn promptly ruined the mood by asking if there was cake. Luckily, the mood was restored seconds later by the Glee Club convening on the stage and sang "Lean On Me," with Mercedes and Artie as lead. Of course, Kurt's "call me" gesture toward Finn made both Finn and Blaine uncomfortable, but it was just like Puck's gesture to Quinn, and they'd work through it.

Right?

* * *

><p><em>Uh-oh, trouble in paradise for our boys! What's going to happen? What's going to happen?<em>

_I don't know either. All I know is, I'm probably not posting the answer for at least a month, until I can get my other stories together. Sorry, folks!_


	13. If This Was a Movie

_How long has it been, guys? A month? Wow, I'm never making you guys wait for updates for this long again, promise. Three midterms, four essays, marriage counseling...the excuses are numerous, but they all end with this (mostly filler) chapter._

_Yes, I am very aware that it is supposed to be "If This **Were** a Movie," but Taylor used "was," so I will too._

* * *

><p>Chapter XIV: If This Was a Movie<p>

"So, what kind of girls do you like?" Kurt asked Finn as they walked together down McKinley's single hallway.

"Oh, well, I like them when they're natural and stuff," Finn answered. "Not a lot of makeup, not skintight clothes, that sort of thing, you know," he said.

Kurt's face broke into an evil smile. "Totally," Kurt lied as they walked into Glee. He turned to Rachel and the wheels in his head started to turn. The dance routine lasted only a few minutes before Brittany was called out for filming the entire rehearsal on her phone.

"What's going on, Brittany?" Will asked.

Brittany looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Coach Sylvester…didn't tell me to do this?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked at Blaine with a smile. "I think I know what we should do this weekend," he said.

"What?" Blaine sounded excited.

"We have to hold a party at Rachel's house," Kurt said. "We're going to give her a makeover, and we're going to get her Finn."

Blaine smiled. "How do you want to do this?" he asked.

Kurt beckoned Blaine closer with his finger.

* * *

><p>Blaine shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Say what you like about Dalton, but at least the private academy had cushy seats in their auditorium. Then The Jane Addams Show Choir was welcomed onstage and Blaine was thoroughly not entranced by their performance, which involved excessive rear-shaking, hair-flipping, and acrobatics. Their lead—was Shatonda her name?—was the only musical highlight of the entire number. However, as the girls filed out of the auditorium, Will looked extremely depressed.<p>

"You seem concerned," Rachel noted. Blaine barely suppressed an eye-roll.

"No," Will denied her accusation so weakly, he might as well have nodded.

Rachel turned to him. "What they were doing was all smoke and mirrors. It's called hairography," she tried to reassure him.

"What?" Will's face said.

"All of the whizzing of their hair around just to distract from the fact that they're not really good dancers and their vocals were just so-so? Trust me, we have **nothing** to be afraid of."

However, the very next day, Will announced his plan to make New Directions perform a song from the musical _Hair_.

Finn raised his hand in a sudden burst of autonomy. "If we're going to do a song about hair, shouldn't we have more…hair?" he asked dully.

Will smiled and threw a bag stuffed with wigs into Finn's lap. Rachel immediately flew out of her seat to speak with him, as Puck, Finn, Artie, Kurt, Blaine, Matt, and Mike tried on various, feminine wigs.

After Glee, Kurt was surprised to see Quinn walk up to him.

"Can I pick your pink brain for a second?" she asked.

Kurt arched his eyebrow disdainfully. "This is the first time you've ever spoken to me."

"I'd like to request a makeover," Quinn said.

Kurt's face lit up. "I'm in! Makeovers are like crack to me," he nearly giggled. "Now, I suggest you wear a double-knit camisole with control top for the baby bump, and avoid baby-doll dresses like the plague—they're a dead giveaway."

"Not for me," Quinn rolled her eyes, "for **Rachel**."

"Why would I want to do that?" Kurt scoffed . "I admit I like a challenge as much as the next guy, but Rachel somehow manages to dress like a grandmother **and** a toddler at the same time."

"My point exactly," Quinn smiled. "You're as concerned about the Glee Club succeeding as I am, and she's a distraction. Look at her," Quinn pointed. "She's wearing a **pantsuit**. Don't you think the judges are going to take one look at her and maybe want to knock her down a peg or two?"

Kurt stared at Rachel's outfit for a while. To the outsider, it looked like he was sizing her up. "Deal," Kurt nodded, flouncing off with Blaine in tow.

Blaine thought that, if his life were a TV show, this would be a commercial break.

* * *

><p>"Look, I need something to distract from you horrible personality," Kurt told Rachel. "Most of the time, I find it hard to be in the same room with you. Especially this one," he added, eyes roving about the room as an expression of disgust grew across his face, "which looks like where Strawberry Shortcake and Holly Hobbie come to hook up."<p>

Rachel must have looked devastated, because Kurt looked a little ashamed. "You're extremely talented, Rachel. Watching you perform is amazing. But sometimes it's hard to appreciate what a good singer you are, because all I'm thinking about is shoving a sock into your mouth. Now, I want every boy in school to do a double-take when you strut past," he smiled.

Rachel smiled gratefully, but replied, "There's really only one boy in particular I'd like to impress—Finn."

Kurt smiled. "So, you see how Quinn dresses? That ho-like wholesomeness, that's going to be you," he pointed.

Rachel's smile got wider and she readily agreed.

* * *

><p>Rachel walked past Finn the next day in mammary-enhancing black shirt with a cute pleated plaid skirt too short for even Santana, and a pair of stiletto heels that caused her to slip every few steps. Finally, she reached Finn.<p>

"Come to my house Friday evening, 8:00 pm. We need to rehearse hairography. I've had long, luxurious locks since I was a toddler on the pageant circuit, and I'm more than qualified to give you some excellent performance tips for our new hair-related Sectionals number."

"Sure," Finn said to her breasts.

Rachel grinned flirtatiously and walked off to her next class. Kurt joined her when she turned the corner. "Objective achieved," Kurt smirked happily. "Now, we start Phase Two."

* * *

><p>However, Phase Two was not implemented until after Brittany tried and failed to teach everyone the finer points of hairography.<p>

"Take it away!" Will advised Brittany.

"Take what away?" Brittany asked.

"Show us what you've got," Will explained.

Brittany stepped up to the front of the crowd and said, "It works best when you pretend like you're getting tasered. So you just move your head around like you're spazzing and stuff," she demonstrated. "You guys, it's like **cool** epilepsy."

Everyone tried to copy her, except for the music instructor who walked out to yell at Sue. Their argument got so loud that the students froze.

"Dude," Finn leaned over to Puck, "are they yelling at each other or boning?"

"It's too loud for just the two of them," Puck replied. "I think they're boning the entire city."

Finn nodded sagely until Will walked back inside. "Take it from the top!" Will yelled again.

Kurt nodded at Blaine to take Finn's place, and he took Rachel's, as Rachel pulled Finn outside to try to seduce him.

* * *

><p>The next day at school, Rachel slammed Kurt's locker shut in his face. "You set me up!" she seethed. Kurt looked shocked. "How could you do that?" she ranted. "I thought we were friends!"<p>

"And what made you think that?" Kurt replied airily.

"Okay, what did Finn actually say to you?" asked Blaine, cutting in so he could stand between the two of them.

Rachel sniffed. "He told me that I'm not his type."

"Okay, here's the dope, princess: There was never any hope for you," Kurt froze her. "He loves Quinn. They're having a baby together, and you're nothing but a distraction. The sooner you realize that, the better." And with that, he took Blaine's hand and left.

* * *

><p>The rage between Rachel and Kurt still had not cooled off by the time The Haverbrook School of the Deaf came in. Will introduced the school and The New Directions performed their "Hair" and "Crazy in Love" mashup. The private school kids clapped politely, clearly just two seconds away from snickering, and Rachel marched up to Will to tell him that they sucked. Will tried to reassure her, but she flounced away, by which time the only available seat was next to Kurt. She crossed her arms and chose to stand instead to watch the Haverbrook students perform.<p>

Mercedes turned to her with a look of utter disgust on her face. "Alright," she said, standing, "I am sick and tired of all this crap you're pulling, Rachel Berry," she said before marching on to the stage with Haverbrook's altos. As she walked past Artie, the boy started to wheel himself next to her and they walked onto the stage. Mercedes began to sing first.

_ast night I heard my own heart beating. Sounded like footsteps on my stairs.  
>Six months gone and I'm still reaching. Even though I know you're not there.<em>

Next, it was Santana's turn, and even Rachel had to admit that she killed it.

_I was playing back a thousand memories, baby. Thinking 'bout everything we've been through  
>Maybe I've been going back too much lately. When time stood still and I had you<em>

Suddenly, all the girls erupted into the chorus

_Come back, come back, come back to me like you would, you would if this was a movie  
>Stand in the rain outside 'til I came out.<br>Come back, come back, come back to me like you could, you could if you just said you're sorry  
>I know that we could work it out somehow. But if this was a movie you'd be here by now<em>

Immediately after, Quinn began to sing, walked to the middle of the stage.

_I know people change and these things happen. But I remember how it was back then.  
>Locked up in your arms and our friends are laughing 'cause nothing like this ever happened to them.<em>

Quinn looked down at her distended belly and turned to rejoin the New Directions as Brittany took her place.

_Now I'm pacing up the hall, chasing down your street. Flashback to a night when you said to me,  
>"Nothing's gonna change, not for me and you. Not before I knew how much I had to lose"<em>

All the girls sang the chorus again.

_Come back, come back, come back to me like you would, you would if this was a movie.  
>Stand in the rain outside 'til I came out.<br>Come back, come back, come back to me like you could, you could if you just said you're sorry.  
>I know that we could work it out somehow. But if this was a movie you'd be here by now.<em>

Unexpectedly, Tina walked out to center stage as everyone else grew silent for the only true solo of the night.

_If you're out there, if you're somewhere, if you're moving on.  
>I'll be waiting for you, wary, since you've been gone.<br>I just want it back the way it was before, and I just want to see you back at my front door. And I say_

Now all the girls began to harmonize behind Tina as she sang.

_Come back, come back, come back to me like you would before you say it's not that easy.  
>Before the fight, before I left you out, but I take it all back now.<br>Come back, come back, come back to me like you would, you would if this was a movie.  
>Stand in the rain outside 'til I came out.<br>Come back, come back, come back to me like you could, you could if you just said you're sorry.  
>I know that we could work it out somehow. But if this was a movie you'd be here by now<br>You'd be here by now. It's not the kind of ending you wanna see now  
>Baby, I don't like the ending. Oh, I thought you'd be here now, whoa. Thought you'd be here by now.<em>

As the last notes drifted off, Will may or may not have had tears in his eyes. "Uh, that was good, guys," he said before walking outside to do something that was most definitely **not** wiping his eyes and blowing his nose. No sirree.

Would it surprise a single person that Kurt and Rachel sat next to each other the next day?

* * *

><p>"We can't really be in the only universe where Blaine needs your help, can we?" Sam looked at Pearl with something akin to puppy-dog eyes.<p>

"Sam, I know when you die. Using the pouty look on me is really not fair," Pearl groaned.

"Then don't resist," Sam suggested slyly.

The Doctor snorted, and Pearl smacked him across the arm. "What?" the Time Lord looked offended. "I was merely thinking that you should give the baby his bottle!"

Pearl shook her head like she would at a particularly slow adult. "You're ridiculous," she said, walking to the window to see the stars outside." Suddenly, she stiffened. "Is that one dying?" her voice grew almost hysterical as she pointed. "Is it?" she demanded of the Doctor.

The Doctor grimly put his hands around her shoulders. "You're not going to be able to save everyone," he told her. "Species die, planets collide, everyone suffers, and you can do nothing about it. Trying only drive you insane," he shook her until Sam was ready to step in and intervene. But as he left, Pearl stood and said something quite unexpected.

"You know the story of the washed-up starfish?"

The Doctor turned around. "What the hell do starfish have to do with anything?"

Pearl did a double-take at first. "That was a rhetorical question," she replied. "Anyway, a boy was walking on a beach on which a tide had just washed up hundreds, if not thousands of starfish, all dying in the hot sun. The boy, unable to see the living, feeling creatures suffer without doing anything, began to throw the starfish as far as he could back into the water. A man walking past told him to give up, that there were too many starfish for him to make a difference to all of them. The boy merely picked up another starfish and threw it into the water, saying, 'Well, I made a difference to that one.' The man shook his head and walked away, until the boy waved him back. 'I can only make so much of a difference,' said the boy, 'but you and me together, we could make twice the difference.' The man said he didn't see the point, as all the starfish were likely to be washed up again at the very next high tide. The boy replied, 'They don't have to all suffer and die now. A second of relief can make all the difference.' And so the man and the boy threw starfish in back into the ocean."

"And the man lost his job, so he, his wife, and his kids all starved to death, and there was nobody to keep the boy company the next time, so the boy killed himself, and all the starfish were left hanging," the Doctor rolled his eyes.

Pearl shook her head, smiling a little. "You don't believe that."

The Doctor sneered in contempt. "Don't I?"

"If you didn't believe in humanity's innate goodness, you wouldn't fight for us," she said. "If you didn't find at least one kernel of truth in my story, you wouldn't have kept listening. You would have gone back to tinker with Belinda, or something of the sort."

The Doctor's eyes misted. "I've missed having you on board," he admitted. "It's not the same. You know, the TARDIS won't even talk to me unless I address her as Belinda now?"

Pearl snickered. "Well, if you treat a woman right, she'll never go back," she replied.

The Doctor took her hand with no small sign of desperation. "Stay?" he offered. "I know you don't age as quickly as a human, and not at all when you're traveling."

"That protection only extends to when I travel using my own magic, Doctor," Pearl withdrew her hand firmly, but not violently. "Doctor, you were right. People die and people suffer, but never alone." She moved her hand to his shoulder. "Doctor, you're never alone. You have me. You have Mike. You'll have Blaine when this is all over. And most importantly, you'll have Sam," they both looked at the blond boy. "He'll never forget you, and he's got you to thank for making the last few days of his life the best of his life," she reminded, turning back to find the Doctor's lips pressed on hers.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, yeah, I'm going there. This is officially soap opera territory. (<em>_I've been watching a lot more "Doctor Who" recently, if you couldn't tell.) Next time, we deal with the fallout of the kiss, and I just fricking love Taylor Swift, but she doesn't write as many happy love songs as she does breakup songs, so the next chapter will focus on that instead. Can you tell that I've just about run out of plot?_


	14. Fifteen Part One

_I am actually kind of impressed with this chapter. It takes the events of "Mattress" and turns it into "Blame it on the Alcohol." And I love how it worked out so that the chapter with most of the lyrics from the titular Taylor Swift song is actually chapter 15. But I also lied. We're not going to deal with the kiss, we're going to deal with "Mattress." And all you Rose/Doctor shippers don't have to kill me; I ship RD too. (LOL, RD are also the initials of Russell Davies.)_

_The next two chapters will be big, guys. You'll definitely want to read them. And yes, I am still working on Surrender Sanity._

* * *

><p>Chapter XIV: Fifteen (Part One)<p>

Kurt tossed a bunch of old McKinley yearbooks on the piano. "Does anyone know where Rachel is?" he asked.

"She's not here yet," Finn answered.

"Perfect," Kurt said. "Now, I'm not saying that because I hate her, although I do, but because I want you guys to understand that it's a good thing we're not getting a photo while Rachel's not here to disagree. I know we've all felt the cold humiliation of a slushie in the face, but so far we've been spared swirlies and patriotic wedgies."

"What could possibly make a wedgie patriotic?" Mercedes asked.

"I think that's when the Ohio's governor gives it to you," Blaine quipped.

"No," Finn shook his head, completely missing the point. "It's a wedgie where they run you up the flagpole by your underwear."

"Yes, very good, Finn," Kurt said hastily, wanting the attention diverted back to himself. "Look, I've looked into past Glee clubs, and it's becoming clear to me that a photo in the Thunderclap only leads to bad things. Here's a guy from the 1998 Glee Club; he can be seen drawn with both a Hitler mustache and a rice paddy hat. And what's worse is that, after the yearbook came out, he had a nervous breakdown. He's now the homeless man who sleeps in front of the library."

"Patches?" Quinn was curious.

"He barks at my mom," Brittany said casually.

"And here's a girl from the 2000 Thunderclap," Kurt opened a different book. "Seen here in her photo with a cartoon knife stuck in her head, in a macabre tableau that, in four years, would prove eerily prescient," he closed it.

"I'm with Kurt on this one," Blaine said. "Why should we fight for a yearbook photo that's only going to draw more negative attention to us?"

As everyone else nodded in glum agreement, Will walked in and saw the pile of yearbooks past. "You've heard," he said grimly, before his entire body changed into one of determination. "You know what, it isn't fair." He grabbed a yearbook and headed toward Figgins' office. "This year's Thunderclap is going to have a Glee Club photo with every one of your smiling faces in it. You have my word on it." His retreating self revealed Rachel, who had just walked in. Kurt and the rest of the club groaned as the girl stalked after Will, muttering something about ACLU under her breath.

"I guess I'll warm us up," Kurt said, mostly to fill in the silence. He started to play some scales on the piano when Rachel suddenly returned.

"Kurt, I have a fantastic idea for a club that would officially make me the most involved students in the whole school. I want us to start a Gaylesball."

"A gay-less ball?" Blaine was mystified…and angry. "Rachel, how can you be so homophobic? You were raised by two fathers."

"I'm talking about a Gay/Lesbian Alliance," Rachel corrected.

Kurt left the piano without even looking at her again, just as Will entered. "Good news, guys," he declared victoriously. "There **will** be a Glee Club photo in the Thunderclap after all."

There were exactly two claps before Will continued to speak. "Now, the photo is only big enough for two people, so we're going to elect two team captains to represent us in the yearbook, alright? So, elections will be tomorrow. Think carefully about who you want to vote for."

* * *

><p>The next day at Glee, everyone except Rachel was giving her uncomfortable looks as she almost bounced out of her seat on occasion. The bell rang and Mercedes spoke up. "It looks like everybody's here. We should just go ahead and vote."<p>

Rachel jumped from her chair and stood in front of the class, but before she could show of her election speech-preparing skills, Mercedes said, "I nominate Rachel."

"I second that nomination," Brittany said immediately.

"Can we just vote?" Puck asked. "I have to hit the gym and get ready for the football picture."

"Sure," Will said. He handed out slips to everyone, and the vote was unanimous—Rachel. "Well, while I appreciate you guys' show of solidarity and support, I really think we should have two captains to represent us in the Thunderclap."

"Why two?" Quinn asked. "We're fine with Rachel representing us in the Thunderclap by herself," she added with an evilly warm smile in Rachel's direction.

"We'd actually prefer it," Kurt said.

"Well, I think that my unanimous election gives me a very strong mandate to shake things up," Rachel replied cheerfully.

"And your first job as captain is going to be to find a co-captain," Will said. When Rachel looked insulted, he hastily added, "You have so many great ideas, there's no reason you shouldn't have some help pushing them through."

Rachel looked thoughtful for a minute. "I could use a trusty lieutenant. I **do** have over 65 proposals." She turned the face the rest of the club. "Mercedes?" she asked.

"I'm going to be busy preparing for Kwanza," she said immediately.

Rachel looked for someone who wasn't avoiding eye contact with her. "Brittany?" she asked hopefully. "Being co-captain is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I don't want to be in a picture with you," Brittany replied. "It'll get defaced."

"No it won't," Rachel was perplexed.

"I'll be the one doing it."

Now Rachel's eye was caught by Artie, who was backing into a corner. Before she could even speak, Artie raised his hands in surrender. "Look, in order for us to appear in a photo together, you'll have to lean over, and that'll make it look like you have stomach rolls."

Rachel finally turned imploring eyes on Finn. Kurt and Blaine rolled their eyes at one another, until Rachel finally exclaimed, "I totally understand that as captain of the football team, you've worked really hard to project an appearance of steely toughness, but if morale doesn't improve in this club, we won't even **place** at Sectionals!"

Blaine noticed the guilty look on Finn's face and surprised everyone, especially himself, by standing up. "I'll do it," he said.

* * *

><p>Blaine looked like he was constipated as Rachel continually tried and failed to smile as she looked at Finn, who smiled and laughed with his football friends past the door.<p>

"Come on, come on, let's get on with it," the photographer said.

"Hang on," Rachel said, "time out." She turned to a mirror and spoke to herself. "Snap out of this. Stop being defined by what other people think of you, or how they disappoint you. It's lonely at the top, you know that. What's that song about overcoming professional and personal disappointments? Oh yeah, 'When you're smiling, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you.'" She turned around and walked up to the photographer. "I'm ready for my close-up."

The photographer snapped a couple of pictures, during all of which Rachel clung uncomfortably to Blaine. The boy yelped when Rachel pressed against his bruised gut and it hurt like crazy. Rachel let go and looked at him oddly.

"Nothing," Blaine smiled as the photographer began to pack up his equipment, which luckily distracted Rachel.

"I practiced eighteen different poses for this shoot. I even have a couple over the left shoulder poses," she said.

"Look, I have a casting session to run half an hour. I can't stick around," the photographer said. Rachel began to cry, and he immediately offered to take a few more pictures.

Rachel's head snapped up. "I can cry on demand," she said. "It's one of my many talents. I'm very versatile, and aside from nudity and the exploitation of animals, I'll pretty much do anything to break into the business."

The photographer looked at her for a long while. "You seem talented, but I need a bunch of other actors for all the speaking parts."

Rachel smiled and looked at a tired-looking Blaine. "We can help with that."

"No, we can't," Blaine said. "If we do a commercial, we would be paid as professionals, and we can't compete in Sectionals if we go pro. Don't you care more about the group than you do about your own fame? Because I do."

Rachel's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Of course!" she squealed. She hugged him and left the room. Blaine had just finished helping the photographer pack up his things when Quinn walked in and started to flip through the yearbooks Kurt left on the piano with a sad glint in her eye.

"Hey, are you alright?" Blaine asked.

Quinn sighed dramatically and looked up. "I was the head cheerleader. I was the most popular girl in school. And now, because of one almost accidental encounter, I have a baby and no popularity!"

"So?" Blaine shrugged. "I got slushied this morning."

"Yeah, I can see the blue in your collar," Quinn looked disdainfully at his shirt. "I want something better than this," she patted her stomach, "to show my kids."

"And you want the pictures to prove it," Blaine nodded his understanding.

"Exactly," Quinn agreed.

"Then you know what you should do, right?" Blaine asked. He leaned closer to her over the piano. "You have to go out and get one."

Quinn smiled. "Thanks," she said before leaving Blaine to wonder what **he** would end up showing his kids. Perhaps his voice? He opened his mouth to sing.

_You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors; it's the morning of your very first day.  
>You say 'Hi' to the friends you ain't seen in a while, try and stay out of everybody's way.<br>It's your freshman year and you're gonna be here for the next four years in this town.  
>Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say, 'You know I haven't seen you around before.'<em>

'_Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them.  
>And when you're fifteen, feeling like there's nothing to figure out.<br>Count to ten, take it in, this is life before you know who you're gonna be: fifteen. _

No, his voice wasn't good enough to be a legacy.

* * *

><p>The next time Blaine saw Quinn, Sue was bringing her down.<p>

"Oh, is that what you want? Well, I what I wanted was a head cheerleader who wasn't going to hoist her legs behind her ears in the back seat of the first station wagon she could jimmy open, throwing away any chance she ever had in life."

"The school needs to see that appearances don't matter. It'd be good for everyone to overcome a little diversity," Quinn said simply. "I learned that in Glee Club."

"Right after the lesson on how to disqualify yourselves from Sectionals, I bet," Sue said snidely.

"Look," Quinn stepped back and revealed her Cheerios uniform. "It can still fit."

"It's like looking at a porno star in a nun's habit," Sue said snidely.

Quinn turned around and saw Blaine. She immediately stopped and turned around. "You know, you're a pretty big hypocrite. I know it was you who got Glee disqualified from competition because Mr. Schue used one mattress, yet you worm your way into Cheerios freebies all the time. I wonder what Figgins would say if the Cheerios were disqualified."

Sue's eyes bugged out. "Alright, you win, you can be back on the Cheerios, but you are on full-time dry cleaning duty."

"I'm not done," Quinn said. "I want six Thunderclap pages you reserved for the Cheerios given to Glee Club."

Sue smiled. "You're ruthless. I like it. Now get out, if you can manage to squeeze through the door without your water breaking all over my new carpet."

"I'm not rejoining the Cheerios," Quinn smiled as she left. "I don't want to be on a team where I only appear to belong. I'd rather be part of a club that's proud to have me, like Glee Club." With that, she sauntered down the hall and smoothly looped her arm in Blaine's without even breaking her stride.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Blaine asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Quinn replied. "I get to get Finn back on my side, and I don't have to hang out with smelly football players anymore." When she saw Blaine's offended look, she hurriedly added. "Not that you smell or anything."

Blaine shrugged and walked into the locker room. Immediately, several boys at least twice his size started threw him against a locker, writing on every inch of him they could reach.

"Gotta practice before the yearbook pictures come out," said one boy.

"Argh!" he yelled, trying to cover his face and fight back at the same time.

"Suck it up and hold still, midget," said another one of the boys. "The system was put in place to keep order around here."

"Now, you have the choice of a Hitler mustache, and buck teeth," said yet another.

"How do you spell 'loser?'" asked a boy holding a marker to Blaine's forehead.

"Oh, just draw a pair of balls," said the first boy dismissively.

"Big old potato-head," said Marker Boy. "You could write a haiku on that thing."

"Oh, draw the penis coming out of his ass," snickered another boy.

Blaine panicked and began to struggle, but they lifted his shirt and saw his bruised stomach and bloody back. Horrified, they drew back.

"Please, please don't tell anyone, please," Blaine pleaded. He was a wreck.

The jocks ran away, leaving Blaine to gingerly pull his clothes back up. He walked outside in tears, and Rachel was the first to spot him.

"Blaine, what are you doing here?" she asked. The tenor began to sob. "Oh my goodness. Do you need anything?" she asked.

Blaine lifted his head and sighed. "I need to get drunk," he said tiredly.

Rachel smiled. "You know, I'm having my birthday party in a couple of days," she said. "I'm sure you could raid my dads' liquor cabinet."

"It's a deal," said Blaine.

Invitations were handed out the very next day.

* * *

><p>"This is either going to be the worst or the best party ever," Artie said to Mercedes, who was dialing as she pushed him.<p>

"Are you coming?" Mercedes asked Santana.

"Only if there's liquor," Santana replied.

"But it's Every Fifteen Minutes this week," Brittany said. "Schools all across the district are calling this Alcohol Awareness Week."

"Precisely," Santana agreed. "And I am aware of how much fun alcohol is." She dialed Puck. "Hey, Santattany and Artcedes are on the line. Tell me there's going to be booze."

"I can definitely promise some wine coolers," even Puck's voice swaggered.

All five of them congregated in the same hallway. "Well, now that we're all here," Mercedes said, hanging up, "the Rachel Berry House Party Trainwreck Extravaganza is officially a go."

Just then, Kurt and Blaine walked in. they smiled, exchanged loving looks, and hugged each other just before several slushies were dumped directly over the heads of the seven.

"Oh, gross!" Kurt and Blaine gagged. "These are Louis Vitton!"

* * *

><p><em>Oh, our poor boys just can't catch a break, can they?<em>

_On a completely unrelated note, everyone should watch the third episode of the third season of Doctor Who, "Blink." You'll love it, especially if you don't plan on sleeping for a very long time._

_Next time, Kurt talks to Mike and gets very strange advice, finds out one of Blaine's secrets, and the Doctor shows him the other. Oh, yes, you won't want to miss it!_


	15. Fifteen Part Two

_Hooray for winter break! I have an entire month of almost nothing else to do other than write. Oh, and I broke my rib, which means I have to wear a cast that makes it nearly impossible to move, which means I can totally write a lot during the break! Now, without further ado, the big reveal! This was originally going to be one chapter, but then I needed a way to tie it in to the previous chapter and lead into the next one. I'm issuing a p__retty big warning for heavy cursing toward the end. I mean, if you found your son's doppelganger bleeding to death after his father stabbed him, wouldn't you be cursing up a storm too?_

_And thanks to OhMyGlee55 for pointing out that I sometimes repeat things. Be my beta?_

_Disclaimer: I totally own Glee and I'm Taylor Swift, so I own her songs too. -wakes up- Oh, damn._

* * *

><p>Chapter XV: Fifteen (Part Two)<p>

Mike and Kurt were sitting together, discussing their relative significant others. "And that's why Asian bondage is the best."

Kurt looked faintly green. "I did not need to know all those details about Tina."

Mike shrugged. "I can talk to you," he said drunkenly, "because you won't masturbate to thoughts of that sweet, pink-"

"_Mike_!" Kurt hissed.

Mike hiccupped. "Hey, look," he pointed with an unsteady hand, "Puck and Finn."

Kurt turned and saw the two jocks lying on top of each other. His eyes narrowed when he saw Blaine grinding with Rachel. "Okay, that's enough," he said, getting up.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" Mike slurred.

"Blaine's just been acting strange all week," Kurt said distantly.

Mike looked guilty. "Oh, that's my fault. I've been telling him that I'm watching him."

"Why would you do that?" Kurt turned to Mike curiously.

"You're not the only gay boy being bullied," Mike said simply, lying down with a groan. "Promise me that you'll look at Blaine's house, okay?" he murmured as he fell asleep.

Kurt sighed. Mike had always been mysterious, but now he was just plain unintelligible, so Kurt chose the problem he knew he could deal with right now, and dragged Blaine upstairs. "I cannot believe how drunk you are!" he growled.

Blaine looked up at Kurt blearily. "M sorry," he muttered, "won't drink anymore."

Kurt was still pissed. "That's not good enough!" he growled.

Blaine covered his ear, lowered his head, and whimpered. If he had a tail, Kurt imagined it would be between his legs. Softening, Kurt patted Blaine's back lightly and Blaine cried out before curling up into a ball. Kurt made a frustrated sound. Blaine reacted badly even to his comforting!

"What do you want from me?" Kurt yelled, raising his hands and curling them into fists in his hair. He was screwing up his styling routine, but he wanted to take care of his drunk boyfriend, and he had to let some of his aggression out if he was going to do that right.

So, imagine his surprise when Blaine stopped sniffling and suddenly sat up, face and eyes terrifyingly blank as he began to pull down Kurt's boxers.

"What are you doing?" Kurt demanded, backing away when Blaine moved his mouth toward his penis. "What the hell are you doing?"

Blaine simply flopped off to the side and started to cry silently. Kurt lied down and rubbed his boyfriend's back until the freshman's even breathing signaled his state of sleep. But Kurt couldn't relax, not until he found out why exactly his boyfriend had been so panicky.

The next morning, Kurt offered to drive a thoroughly hung-over and decidedly not-embarrassed Blaine home, meaning that Blaine had forgotten what happened last night. However, his strange behavior continued, and Blaine refused Kurt's offer as if he had offered to castrate Blaine instead.

"I can go home on my own, thanks," Blaine said with a shaky smile. Kurt shrugged. If Blaine didn't trust him, he didn't have to not trust him back. But that was unstable logic, and Kurt knew it. A mere five minutes after Blaine left, Kurt decided to sneak into the Navigator and follow Blaine to his house at a discreet distance. Blaine didn't seem to notice, but Kurt's heart was thumping in his chest as he followed his boyfriend home. The ride was generally smooth, but Kurt slammed on the brakes just before he would have turned the corner into Blaine's street. He would have to drive by Blaine while the boy was either parking or getting out of the car in order to actually see which house was his, but he couldn't be seen. A harsh man's voice and the sound of scraping wood snapped Kurt out of his reverie and he turned the corner. He slowed as he drove by Blaine's house, from which loud snaps were emanating. He looked through the window for a brief second, and that brief second was all it took.

Blaine's face was twisted in anguish as his father delivered harsh blows with what looked like a large, freshly cut wooden switch.

* * *

><p>Kurt's mind was reeling when he walked into Glee the next day. He still couldn't quite believe what he had seen. There was no way he had actually seen Blaine's parents viciously beating him. No way. And yet Mike had been consistently worried about Blaine, and he had been the one who suggested that Kurt go spy on Blaine's household.<p>

Right, that was it, he needed to find Mike and he needed some damn answers. He stalked down the hall until he found the wiry dancer.

"Mike, we have to talk," Kurt said, throwing out one hip in an unbending pose.

Mike sighed. "Where did I leave off?"

* * *

><p>"Is that blood?"<p>

The Doctor and Sam looked at it and their faces turned grim. They walked around the house until they found an almost prone body on the tiled floor.

"Blaine!" Pearl was beside the body immediately. "Blaine Anderson, what happened?" she wanted to kill something.

The man holding the knife wasn't immediately apparent until the Doctor yelled for her to get out of the way, succeeding in only making her turn around. There was a point of pressure against her neck and she screamed when blood started running down her spine. Blaine gurgled and his hand flopped around uselessly as he tried to reach up and stem the blood flow.

The Doctor grabbed a chair and slammed it over Cailean Anderson's back. The man fell down with a grunt, and Pearl's skin slowly fused together. It wasn't a life-threatening injury. It wasn't even serious, but it filled Pearl with the unholy anger of menstrating adolescent girls who found her boyfriend ogling another pair of breasts. Emitting a shriek made only more unholy by the high pitch with which it was delivered, she pounced on the man and literally drained him of blood. But while she did that, Blaine Anderson's blood drained out the numerous wounds on his body.

"Oh, we are so fucked," she said, blood still dripping out of the corner of her mouth. She looked up at the Doctor. "What can we do?" she asked.

"Nothing," the Doctor shook his head. "You have to understand, there's nothing we can do."

"We have to do something!" Pearl jumped up and screamed. "That's my son, lying dead on the floor!" she pointed, her entire body shaking now.

The Doctor sighed. "Alright," he said, "go get the nanogenes."

Pearl smiled in relief and ran inside. She walked inside the TARDIS and grabbed the sealed tube. But in her haste, she failed to notice the floor and tripped on her still-unsteady legs. Her hand flew out and she knocked out the most fragile panel of the console. Immediately, the console room and the kitchen were bathed in light so bright, no one could see anything except each other, which was just as well. Blaine shuddered and screamed as his body underwent obvious changes; his injuries disappeared, only to be replaced by many, many more nonlethal ones. Mike felt himself shrinking and couldn't stop shaking, and the other three stared. Only the Doctor and his two companions didn't seem to age backward.

The swirling hurricane couldn't cover everything; there were gaps where they could see, and little drops of light fell off with the force of the spinning. The first one landed on Pearl and little puffs of steam rose. The Doctor suffered the same fate, so Mike and Sam understood they needed to dodge. Only Blaine couldn't avoid them, and his skin sizzled every time. Eventually—Mike estimated the entire…_whatever it was_ took about ten minutes—Pearl decided to shield her son from that light that was somehow not light. Mike opened his mouth at one point to ask what was going on. His voice sounded behind him, not merely physically but on a level he couldn't recognize. He realized he had not breathed at all, nor did he need to. There was a song playing.

_You sit in class next to a redhead named Abigail, and soon enough you're best friends.  
>Laughing at the other girls who think they're so cool. We'll be out of here as soon as we can.<br>And then you're on your very first date and he's got a car, and you're feeling like flying.  
>And your momma's waiting up, and you're thinking he's the one<br>And you're dancing 'round your room when the night ends, when the night ends._

'_Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them.  
>And when you're fifteen and your first kiss makes your head spin 'round.<br>In your life, you'll do things greater than dating a boy on the football team._

_But I didn't know it at fifteen._

_When all you wanted was to be wanted, wish you could go back, and tell yourself what you know now.  
>Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday, but I realized some bigger dreams of mine.<br>And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind. We both cried._

'_Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them.  
>And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall.<br>I've found that time can heal almost anything, and you might find who you're supposed to be.  
>I didn't know who I was supposed to be…at fifteen.<em>

_La la la la la…la la la la la la…la la la la la. Your very first day.  
>Take a deep breath boy, take a deep breath as you walk through the doors.<em>

The Doctor might have made a sound of frustration, but Sam couldn't hear it as the man walked back inside and started to tinker with the panel. Finally, finally, the light thing decided to go back into the panel. For a moment, Mike couldn't see because the brightness had blinded him. When he opened his eyes again, everything had disappeared, as if it had never happened. Time reversed itself two years. And Blaine Anderson woke up after being murdered yesterday in two years.

* * *

><p>Kurt swallowed. "No way," he said. "There is no way that makes sense."<p>

Mike shrugged."This is how I understand it," he said. "You only know because I called you right before it happened, and there were a couple holes in the light hurricane."

"That's a lie," Kurt shook his head. "That has to be a lie."

Mike put both hands on Kurt's shoulders. "You know what I'm talking about," he said. "You've seen it, or heard it, or smelled it, or something. But you know it too. You know it, Kurt."

Kurt took a deep breath. He remembered the phone call. He remembered. He had felt Blaine's panic, and suddenly his deep breaths turned breathy and high-pitched. "Blaine," he whimpered.

"It's alright," strong arms wrapped around his waist and Kurt leaned into the Doctor's hug. Then Kurt realized who he was talking to.

"You!" he turned around, facing the Time Lord, the woman, and the boy. "You're the people Mike was talking about."

"Pearl Rush," Pearl introduced herself like she wasn't an alien. "I'm Blaine's adoptive mother in a different universe." She was standing at an unusual distance from the man near her.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said, glancing uneasily and apologetically to the woman who was steadily ignoring him and looked like she would like nothing more than to punch him in the face.

"Doctor who?" Kurt asked, trying to break the tension.

The Doctor didn't answer, but the blond boy stepped forward and offered his hand. "Sam Evans," he said. "You haven't met me yet."

Kurt shook his head. "I have to go see Blaine," he said, backing away before breaking into a full run. The Doctor, Pearl, and Sam stared after him.

"Sorry about everything," Pearl told Sam sadly. "This was supposed to be your…present."

"It still was pretty awesome," Sam shrugged. "Besides, now I know you know the Doctor. I can call you too, right? Whenever I want?"

"Yes, but you can't stay too long. You'll continue to age," said the Doctor, laughing hollowly.

Mike didn't catch the tension. He was too lost in his own wonders. And no, I'm not talking about his abs, for once. "What happened after you guys reversed time?" he asked.

The Doctor, Sam, and Pearl's faces grew dark.

* * *

><p>"You suck!" the Doctor actually punched the wall so hard that the sound of his bones cracking echoed across the room. "Why can't you just look where you step? Now we've got at least two people with memories of two years that don't exist!" He reached around for the retcon and Pearl put her hand around it, digging her nails into his hand.<p>

"We can go around and help them," Pearl said desperately. "You don't have to destroy the entire universe! Blaine's docile. He would never go out to destroy order. He's a Dalton boy."

The Doctor snorted and wrenched his hand away. "The universe will try for equilibrium. No matter what we do, his father will still want to kill him, he will still be beaten, and everything that has happened in his life will still try to happen."

"Then we can try to prevent it from happening," Pearl sounded very pleased and very hysterical.

"We can't prevent his entire life," the Doctor said gently.

"We don't have to. We can just make sure he knows there are people here to help him," Pearl didn't want to leave this alone.

"You might have nothing better to do with your life, but I do," said the Doctor contemptuously.

Pearl looked at Sam. "Back me up here, please?" she pleaded.

Sam thinned his lips and turned to the Doctor. "He's my friend," Sam said.

The Doctor shook his head. "He's not Blaine Rush. He's not the Blaine you know."

"We do know him," Pearl said. "He can't catch a break in either universe and it's not fair!"

The Doctor swallowed and looked down. "It's unfair that he should ever suffer again, but life is unfair, and you can't change everything."

"But we can change this," Pearl said, slowing standing. "Life is unfair, but we can take steps to keep injustice from reigning. I know you believe this; you save the world over and over, even when you know you can't save everyone. We can't stop pain and evil everywhere, but we can stop it when we see it. And we see this," she gestured through the doors to the world outside.

The Doctor sighed. "Alright," he said grudgingly. "We can go back."

* * *

><p>Kurt stared. "So, you're all here to help my boyfriend?"<p>

"Oh, well, don't worry, Kurt, we're not going to just leave you in the lurch," Pearl said cheerfully.

"It's not that," Kurt shook his head. "I'm glad you're all here. But who the hell are you?"

The Doctor, Sam, and Pearl looked at each other grimly. Sam was the first one to speak.

"Kurt, in my world, Blaine's life sucks worse than Blaine's life in your world. Wait, am I saying that right?" he asked the Doctor.

The Doctor waved him off. "The point is, Chris-"

"Kurt," Kurt interrupted.

"Chris, the point is, there's more than just one universe, and these two are from the universe directly parallel to yours," the Doctor answered.

"So, what part do you guys play in the…other universe?" Kurt asked.

"I'm Blaine's adoptive mother," Pearl said.

"And I'm his ex from Dalton" Sam said unhelpfully. Kurt and Pearl turned to him.

"Who's Dalton?" Kurt asked.

"Why didn't I know this?" Pearl asked harshly. Sam realized that he—the person who broke Blaine's heart—was standing next to his overprotective mother and immediately ran as far away from him as he could get.

* * *

><p>Kurt didn't know what to think as Pearl chased the blond boy back into the TARDIS and the Doctor followed them exasperatedly. There was a terrible scraping sound, and the blue box disappeared just as Kurt heard a shrill female voice start shrieking obscenities at Sam. Mike had left without anyone noticing, and so Kurt turned around and walked to his car.<p>

Blaine was waiting for him with a Grande Non-Fat Mocha.

* * *

><p><em>Oh-ho boy, Blaine has no idea what Kurt is going to do, does he? Oh well. Luckily, Kurt and Blaine are my unstoppable duo, right after the Doctor and Pearl.<em>

_Next time, Sectionals and arguments arise as a result of the reveal._


	16. True Colors

_I know I have three open stories right now. I know that one of them **directly explains** why Pearl and the Doctor are travelling together. But I've also recently realize that if I attempt to write more than one story at once, I get distracted. I'd rather end this at the end of the year before focusing on the other ones. All of my stories have certain directions I want to take them and certain things I want to happen in both of them, but when I go from writing one to the other, I have to find that direction again. I write better when I have one clear goal in mind than three to look through._

_That being said, there's a very good reason this fic is rated M; Blaine's death is graphically described in this chapter. I've tried to make it as realistic as possible by reading survivors' accounts of almost being stabbed to death by a loved one, but obviously I've never been stabbed to death (or stabbed, period, thank Goddess!) so please don't insult that scene. And I know how unrealistic it is for someone to have an out-of-body experience as someone else, but I've never had an out-of-body experience, so I just wrote it as having the experience of someone else._

_Okay, now that the author's note is as long as the damn chapter, here's the disclaimer: I don't own the song "True Colors," by Cyndi Lauper. I do, however, love it._

* * *

><p>Chapter XVI: True Colors<p>

"What's all this for?" Kurt asked.

"You've been avoiding me all day," Blaine looked sheepish. "I don't know what I did wrong, but I'd like to be informed, so I can fix it."

Kurt sighed and sat down. "You didn't do anything wrong. You did everything right. It's me who did something wrong,"

"Then why have you been avoiding me all day?"

"Because I can't stand the fact that I never knew!" Kurt yelled.

Blaine looked confused and heartbroken. "What are you talking about?"

Kurt took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself. "I followed you home last night," he admitted. "I know you told the truth and I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Blaine swallowed and backed away. "Kurt, please stop."

"No," Kurt shook his head. "I let it go after your confession last night. I won't let it go again."

"Kurt," Blaine said desperately. "Please, I'm begging you, leave it alone."

"I can't," Kurt's eyes shone with tears. "I know what will happen if I do."

"What are you talking about?"

Kurt started to sob. "Blaine, your father killed you."

Suddenly, Sunday night—the last night of Blaine's life half a year ago and one and half a years later—came back. He could hear his father as he walked up the stairs and Blaine inhaled sharply, trying to brace himself against the onset of pain. He expected harsh blows, but there weren't any. Instead, he saw the knife, a stiletto blade with a cold glitter for just one second before it cut like butter into his leg. _Oh, this is going to hurt_, he thought, and it did, it hurt a whole fucking lot. The cold steel sank down again into part of his lower back and he jerked violently, trying to hold it in, but just couldn't. Over the sounds of his agony, Blaine could hear the knife going into part of his arm, and then the pain became too blinding to see or think. He wondered idly which would hurt more: a sharp knife or a dull one.

His father was saying something, but Blaine's mind was spinning from the torture too much to realize immediately that his father was saying, "Stop being gay," and even longer to formulate his response.

"Can't," Blaine panted, arm drenched in blood and lungs constricted. It hurt so fucking bad. Agony blotted away reason, and his inner dialogue raced out of control. _Light is universally regarded as something warm_, he thought, _something that brings life. But light can be cold and take life away too. It hurts_. And then the knife sank down on his chest somewhere and there was just no escaping the pain as he screamed and struggled. The blade twisted somewhere in his shoulder and his screams of agony echoed off the walls. Stars danced before his eyes, bringing different angles of this scene before his eyes.

_It hurts. _He was a man from another world he had never seen and didn't have time to wonder why he had a front-row seat to Blaine's agony before the man's thoughts drove out his own. The man wasn't a proper doctor, despite his title, but the man knew Cailean was hurting the boy, and it was driving him mad. There was the unmistakable sound of metal entering flesh, followed by a grunt and gasp of pain. The yellowed overhead lighting reflected off the slick and thick and too-red floor. The boy looked sallow and pale, and red was a color that never should have been smeared across his body.

_It hurts. _The knife moved again, and it hurt so terribly that Blaine's mind lost its grip on the man's mind and slipped somewhere else. He was another boy, but this one was blond with toned muscles he didn't hide. Another thing he didn't hide was the shock when he saw the pain on Blaine's face. Blaine's body was a canvas, stripped bare of everything but healing layers of bruises and grisly welts and gashes too deep for him. The pain was bare on Blaine's face; he wanted to give up.

_It hurts. _The knife doled out pain one last time and when he was dropped, he crumpled painfully to the floor in a bloody heap. Blaine felt someone brush her thumb tenderly against his head, a touch of affection against so much pain. Blaine's mind slipped smoothly into what seemed to be the most comfortable person yet: an emotional woman this time. The woman wondered if Blaine was unconscious, and wondered if the release from the pain he had doubtlessly endured was a blessing, or whether feeling just how shredded the flesh on his back—and front—were and the bruises pounded into the bleeding skin would be better because then he would at least be alive. Blaine, still in her body, folded one hand tenderly over his own bruised and bloody shoulder. Slowly, beneath Blaine/the woman, Blaine's eyes opened. There was so much pain in those eyes that Blaine was glad he was not in his body right now, but he could not hide from himself, and the savage tears in his flesh made themselves known as he woke up again in his own body.

He could see the woman struggling to take in the brutality it would take to create wounds like his and, failing that, cradled his head in her lap, trying to staunch some of the bleeding with what remained of his shirt. "Are you in shock?" she muttered. "You're not responding as much as I want you too." No, he had just gotten very good at containing how much it hurt. She tried to pick him up, but there was so much blood and she couldn't get a good grip. He stiffened and gritted his jaw at the pain of the movement. And then his father appeared again and attacked Pearl and Blaine was in such bad shape that he couldn't even help her.

_It hurts._ And then the lights went out. Or perhaps came back on. Either way, Blaine could see the world again. He let out a ragged sob, and Kurt's arms were immediately around him.

"Blaine, you're alright," Kurt promised soothingly. "You're going to be alright."

And for the first time in a year, Blaine felt at peace.

* * *

><p>"What the hell do you mean, you dated my son?" Pearl demanded.<p>

"Hey, at least I'm better than the Sam in that universe!" Sam protested. "He raped Blaine!" He was quiet for a few seconds. "I don't know how I know that."

Pearl sighed and decided to explain before she continued her diatribe. "Doppelganger intuition," she said. "The Pearl in that universe died a long time ago," she added quietly. "I know this universe; it was created to trap my sister into what the creator thought was paradise. I guess, over time, the creator lost track of it and allowed more evil to flow in from the other universe."

Sam looked out the TARDIS window. "Everybody wants to be king and have power over the world, but I guess it's not all it's cracked up to be." He turned back to find Pearl glaring at him.

"How did you and Blaine break up?" she asked.

Sam winced. "The Sadie Hawkins Dance was our first date," he began, "and I was too weak and scrawny and scared to fight back. Blaine and I both ended up in the hospital. He had a concussion and I was in a coma. Afterward, my parents wouldn't let me see him, and I was bisexual, so I played up my straight half." He looked at Pearl pleadingly. "Come on, you know what that means; you just kissed him," he pointed to the Doctor with his chin.

"No, Sam, I really don't," Pearl said coldly. "And just for the record, he kissed me."

"Sorry," came a meek voice from behind her. Pearl turned around and glared.

"Doc-Boy, I understand that you're upset about the way things are going right now," she said with forced calm and her hands on her hips. "You think just about all your companions have abandoned you, so you're really glad that I've come back and you're latching on as closely as you can to me because you want to believe that if you strengthen our connection enough, I won't leave, even if it's all one-sided. But Doctor, if you try too hard to hold onto a fistful of sand, it just makes the grains slip past your fingers." She removed her hands from her hips to cross her arms. "I want to go home. Now."

* * *

><p>Kurt and Blaine were talking during yet another incredibly boring dance rehearsal, which was why they didn't see Quinn falling until everyone else had already gotten into an uproar.<p>

"Is it the baby? Is it coming?" Finn asked in one breath, kneeling by his girlfriend's side.

"I think we're supposed to get hot towels," Puck said. Blaine lifted an extremely bushy eyebrow, wondering how the boy managed to go from one end of the room to the other, and get Quinn's hand in his, in the span of Finn's rapidly-babbled sentence.

"Would you **both** just shut up?" Quinn glared at the boys as she struggled upright. "There's, like, **sweat** on the floor," she muttered in disgust. "I'm **fine**," she added insistently. Rachel looked like she was trying very hard to think about something that wasn't herself before Will decided that it was the end of practice and sent everyone home.

"That was strange," Blaine said absently, trying to avoid the elephant in the room.

"Who are you going to tell?" Kurt asked immediately.

"Kurt, we can't tell anyone. We'd just be getting them in trouble," Blaine said.

"Well, maybe they need to get in trouble," Kurt said. "Maybe your dad should be punished for what he's doing."

"Yeah, and maybe he'll just kick my ass instead," Blaine snorted. "What did you think was going to happen, just because you knew?"

"I thought you were going to be at least a little bit more reasonable," Kurt argued. "If we're going against a 'respectable' businessman like your father," he made quotes with his hands, "then we're going to need the backing of every single person we can."

Blaine looked away. "Kurt, I don't want everyone knowing how dirty I let myself be."

Kurt was completely shocked. "Blaine, you did absolutely nothing wrong," he insisted. "And don't you think people deserve to know all of you?" When Blaine continued to look confused, Kurt sighed, took a deep breath, and launched into song.

_You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged. Oh, I realize it's hard to take courage,  
>In a world full of people, you can lose sight of it all, and the darkness still inside you makes you feel so small.<br>But I see your true colors, shining through. I see your true colors, and that's why I love you.  
>So don't be afraid to let them show, your true colors, true colors, are beautiful like a rainbow.<em>

Behind him, Kurt heard someone clear her throat and join in. He started to "Ah" in the background to Tina's solo.

_Show me a smile then, don't be unhappy. Can't remember when I last saw you laughing.  
>If this world makes you crazy, and you've taken all you can bear, you can call me up because you know I'll be there.<br>And I see your true colors, shining through. I see your true colors, and that's why I love you.  
>So don't be afraid to let them show, your true colors, true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow.<em>

Kurt turned to Blaine. "Can't remember when I last saw you laughing," he said, before continuing to "Ah" behind Tina.

_If this world makes you crazy, you've taken all you can bear.  
>You call me up (call me up) because you know I'll be there.<br>And I'll see your true colors, shining through. (I see them shining through!)  
>I see your true colors, and that's why I love you. (That's why I love you!)<br>So don't be afraid (afraid) to let them show, your true colors, true colors.  
>I see your true colors shining through. (Yeah!) I see your true colors, and I that's why I love you.<br>So don't be afraid (afraid) to let them show, your true colors.  
>True colors, true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow.<em>

Blaine sighed. "Kurt, I'm not ready to tell everyone yet," he said. "I'm not ready to tell **any**one yet. Besides, it's my life. Aren't we supposed to wait until I'm ready?"

Kurt pursed his lips, but it was clear that he was weakening. "Do you promise to be ready before you die?" he asked.

Blaine crossed the room and held Kurt's face in his hands. "I promise," he said sincerely, or as sincerely as he could get without actually meaning his words.

* * *

><p>True to his word, Kurt didn't say a word about Blaine's home life, only the more mundane things he discussed with Mercedes, Tina, and Artie. The utter irrelevance of the conversation was only broken when Rachel burst into the room.<p>

"Did any of you think it was weird the way that Puck rushed to Quinn's aid during rehearsal yesterday?" she asked.

"No," all of them said at once.

"Puck and Quinn are friends, Rachel," Mercedes snarked. "Most friends are worried about each other," she added as a dig at Rachel.

"It seemed like more than that," Rachel sighed. "I've never told you guys this before, but I'm a little psychic."

Mercedes and Tina looked at each other in amusement, Blaine looked like he wanted to laugh, and Kurt's eyebrows threatened to fly off his head as he positioned himself better to listen to Rachel's rant of insanity.

"I can't read minds yet," Rachel whispered in a failed attempt to sound mysterious, "but I do have a sixth sense. Something is definitely going on there!"

There was a brief pause, and all five teenagers suddenly collected their belongings. "We have to be somewhere else right now," Tina said with a false smile as they left Rachel on her own.

"There's nothing to be scared of!" Rachel tried and failed to chase after them. "It's not like _Carrie_ or anything!"

"She's on to it," Mercedes groaned into her cell phone once she reached the hallway.

"I know!" Tina agreed into her cell phone to the girl she was walking next to. "It's really freaking me out!" Her phone buzzed. "Hold up, Artie's calling me."

"Dudes, this is serious," Artie told the two girls. "If she finds out, she's going to tell Finn! She's a total trout mouth."

"Blaine would like you all to know that he knows a way bigger trout mouth than Rachel," were Kurt's first words when he hooked up to the call via Mercedes.

"Is that even possible?" Tina asked after doing a double-take.

"Who cares?" Kurt threw up his hands. "I say we lock Rachel up until after Sectionals. I volunteer my basement!"

"Look, we can't," Mercedes said. "We need her to sing.

"Damn," Kurt cursed Rachel's talent to hell just as Santana called him and Brittany called Blaine.

"Who told?" Santana demanded.

"We assumed it was you," Artie said shortly.

"Why would I do that?" Santana rolled her eyes.

"To get back at Puck," Blaine replied as he connected to the call via Kurt's phone. "Aren't you guys dating?"

"Sex is **not** dating," Santana sneered.

"If it were, Santana and I would be dating," Brittany said innocently.

There was another pause, during which Santana's horrified gasp was the most audible thing in the conversation. Brittany put her head against Santana's shoulder. Artie only looked vaguely interested. Mercedes and Tina looked at each other with expressions of either shock or constipation on their faces. Kurt arched an eyebrow and turned to Blaine, who was looking back, and said, "Ah-ha!"

"Look," Santana said, moving the conversation back into her control, "I don't want to rock the boat. Since Quinn got pregnant, I'm top dog around here."

"Shut up, she's coming!" Mercedes hissed. "Hey, hot mama!" she smiled at Rachel until the girl walked past, then resumed her hurriedly growled conversation. "Look, I know I screwed up telling all you guys about Quinn and Puck, and I feel really terrible about it, but we cannot let Rachel figure this out. If she tells Finn, he's going to flip!"

"And then we really have no chance at Sectionals," Artie declared grimly.

"You do realize that Finn's voice sucks, right?" Pearl said, standing off to the side. She looked sad, like someone had abandoned her there.

* * *

><p><em>Great, now she's gone and gotten herself kicked off the TARDIS. How will I ever fix this?<em>

_Next time, we don't see the resolution of the cliffhanger, but we do see Sectionals, "Don't Rain on My Parade," and another cliffhanger. Yeah, I'm evil._


	17. Don't Rain On My Parade

_No lengthy author's note this time, guys. I figure I made you all suffer enough already._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain On My Parade," nor "Funny Girl." Also, if it looks weird, it's because I didn't have Heather to put choreography into it. I'm not that good, guys. Yes, I know it's not by Taylor Swift. Neither was "True Colors," but I love those songs, so I'm going to freaking use them, okay?_

* * *

><p>Chapter XVII: Don't Rain On My Parade<p>

Everyone was so upset by the woman's statement that they didn't notice Rachel walking up to a very pregnant Quinn and saying, "Hey, I know it's not my place, but have you had your doctor run the full genetic panel on your unborn child?"

"What?" Quinn asked, confused.

"My cousin Leon and his wife got pregnant before they found out he carried the gene for Tay-Sachs, so everyone was terrified until the fetus tested clean. But, why am I telling you this? They wouldn't test for Tay-Sachs unless one of the parents is Jewish. Never mind. I'll see you at rehearsal. Bye!" Rachel said, seemingly without need of breath, and waved goodbye.

* * *

><p>"You have to take me to get those Jewish baby tests," Quinn muttered to Puck in the music room, completely oblivious to Rachel sitting in the corner reading <em>Jazz Hands Magazine<em> upside-down, and the aqua-eyed young mother in the hallway.

"Does this have to happen tonight?" Puck asked. "Because I've got my fight club," he muttered under his breath, lest anyone who wasn't in it overheard.

Will suddenly entered the class. "Alright, guys, it's time to go over our Sectionals set list."

"We have to do 'Proud Mary' in wheelchairs," Artie said immediately.

"I think 'Don't Stop Believing' is a must," said Finn.

"What about our ballad?" asked Tina.

Rachel raised her hand. "I would be proud to offer my ballad expertise, Mr. Schue."

"Aw, hell no, Miss Bossypants!" Mercedes jumped up and yelled. "I've worked just as hard as you, and I'm just as good as you," she said, getting to her feet.

"Do you honestly think you're as strong of a balladeer as I am?" Rachel retorted, prompting Mercedes to turn to the football boys and mouth _balladeer_ as if she couldn't believe that it was an actual, spell-check-approved word. "Ballads are pretty much my thing."

"Maybe Mercedes should give it a try," Tina said, looking over at the diva.

Mercedes smiled and walked over to Brad-the-Pianist. "Do I even need to tell you what song?" she sassed. Brad smiled, shook his head, and started playing as Mercedes ordered the "orchestra" and horn section to keep up before she started to sing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," after which every single audience member but Artie stood and started to clap wildly.

Rachel pursed her lips. "Alright," she agreed grudgingly before being swept up into the group hug that even she had to find touching. Then she pulled Finn outside to the hallway. Kurt looked over curiously, but Blaine knew what was going on. He remembered enough from Kurt's stories. At the same time, Kurt seemed to remember that Blaine knew what was going to happen, and crept closer to his boyfriend. The boys pressed their ears to the door.

"I'm kind of pumped about Sectionals," they heard Finn say. "It's just been a hard couple of months with Quinn and the baby and everything," he explained, "and I really think that winning could make everything good for a while."

"I want you to be happy, Finn, and when you care about someone, you can't sit around and watch them suffer when you know that you can do something about it," Rachel's voice was, if possible, even more annoying when it was muffled.

"Okay, so?" Finn asked.

There was a long pause and the boys realized how loud Rachel was, even when she was gulping. "I have to tell you something," she said finally.

BAM! The door slammed open and whacked Blaine in the face. Finn didn't even notice; he simply continued to walk over to Puck in order to beat him to death. "Is it true?" he demanded, shaking his best friend's shoulders.

"Yes," Puck admitted, looking down.

Finn cursed up a storm, threw a chair, and stormed out. Quinn ran—well, waddled—after him, calling for him to wait.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked Blaine.

"I'm fine," Blaine responded. "Are you okay?" he asked Puck.

Puck looked up in surprise. "Um, yeah, dude, totally fine," he said awkwardly.

Blaine nodded. "I'm going to go out and find Quinn," he said.

"No," Rachel put one hand on Blaine's arm to stop him, "let me." She walked outside and saw Quinn sitting near the trophy case, stroking her widening stomach.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. "I'll let you beat me up if you want," she offered.

"I'm not mad at you," Quinn replied. "All you did was what I wasn't brave enough to do."

"I did it because I wanted to break Finn and you up so Finn would come to me, but I guess that's not happening, so I really am-"

"Look, I really could care less," Quinn cut in. "I just want to be left alone."

Rachel walked off just as Puck walked in. "It's my baby," Puck said. "I should help. I **can** help," he insisted.

"Talk to somebody who cares," Quinn said, standing and leaving. "I'm going to find Blaine." And she walked off, leaving Puck standing forlornly in the hall.

* * *

><p>"Jacob Ben Israel reporting for duty," Rachel's stalking crush ran up as Emma and Will lifted Artie onto the bus purchased with the profits from Puck's pot-laced pastries.<p>

"Who the hell are you again?" asked Will.

Jacob's face fell. "I'm your twelfth member, here to replace Finn Hudson, or Quinn Fabray. But I have to tell you, I get terrible public event anxiety."

"Just sway in the back," Emma advised.

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other warily before the former scooted closer to the latter to make some room for a thoroughly ungrateful Jacob to sit down.

"There's still no word from Finn," Emma told Will outside. The teacher sighed and walked into the bus dejectedly. And after a commercial break-long drive, they arrived at the Buckeye Civic Auditorium. The Jane Addams Reform School and The Haverbrook School for the Deaf had their names prominently displayed next to McKinley Senior High's New Directions.

"Alright, guys," Will said. "I've got you all signed in, and we're performance slot number three."

"We're going last?" Tina scowled. "Isn't that bad?"

"Hardly," Rachel immediately tried to reassure her friends. "This is good news. My extensive auditioning for community theater has taught me that we either want to go first or last. If we're first, then everyone has to measure up to us, and if we're last, then we're the freshest in the judges' minds."

"And did you ever get any of these parts?" Kurt interrupted with saccharine sarcasm.

Rachel's face fell, and Blaine cleared his throat. "You know, I agree with Rachel. I think we've found ourselves in a very glass-half-full situation."

Mercedes smiled. "Look, we've made it this far, and after all this, we might as well walk in there with some positive mojo." She might have taken her own advice, for all positive mojo left her expression once the Jane Addams girls took the stage to sing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."

"It's a very popular song," Rachel tried to cheer Mercedes up weakly. The effort was rendered even more useless when the girls finishes and continued with "Proud Mary," which they performed in wheelchairs. Blaine suddenly bolted.

"We've got a problem," Blaine said once he found Will. "They're doing all of our numbers, and everyone's completely freaking out. Artie keeps ramming himself into the wall, and I'm pretty sure Jacob Ben Israel just wet himself." Behind him, Artie rammed himself into the wall repeatedly.

"I knew it!" Will seethed. "Sue leaked the set list!"

"Look, Mr. Schue, we need a leader right now," Blaine pleaded.

"Hold tight," Will said, leaving.

Blaine's face fell. Will would rather yell at Sue for causing a problem than solve the damn problem. Well, he wouldn't. He turned around and faced the group. "Tina, you sounded great on 'True Colors,'" he began.

"I think Kurt sang it better," Tina blushed.

"I think we should do it together," Kurt said suddenly.

Tina and Kurt high-fived each other. Rachel pouted. Everyone else covered their ears as the Haverbrook kids "sang" their songs, until "Don't Stop Believing" actually brought some audience members to tears."

"Meet me in the green room in five minutes," Rachel exploded. Everyone followed her into said green room, where immediately all slumped into depression.

"I knew you were all just Sue Sylvester's little moles," Kurt snarled at Brittany and Santana.

"Neither me nor Brittany gave Sue that set list!" Santana insisted.

"Well, uh," Brittany began, "I did, but I didn't know what she was going to do with it."

Santana rolled her eyes. "You guys can believe what you want, but the fact is, nobody's forcing me to participate in Sectionals, and if you ever tell anyone this, I'll deny it, but I like being in Glee Club. It's the best part of my day, okay? And I wasn't going to go mess it up."

Shocked, everyone was silent until Rachel finally spoke up. "I believe you," she said, "but that won't help us win this thing. We need to come up with some new songs, and we need to do that fast. First thing we have to think about is a new ballad. Mercedes?" she turned to the diva.

Mercedes shook her head. "None of the songs I know is as good as 'And I Am Telling You.' You're the best singer that we've got."

Kurt sighed. "Rachel's our star, and if anyone's going to go belt it on the fly, it should be her."

Rachel smiled. "Well, I do have this song I've been working on since I was four," she admitted. "We can open the show with it."

"Wait, guys," Blaine stood up and looked at Tina. "I think you should sing 'True Colors' for our ballad," he said, completely sincere.

Tina blushed. "I can't," she shook her head.

"You sounded wonderful the other day during rehearsal," said Mike said.

Tina looked up at Mike's guileless eyes and smiled. "Okay," she agreed.

"But we still need a showstopper and a show opener," Rachel reminded everyone.

Suddenly, Finn walked inside, hands full of sheet music. "I didn't run over any mailmen on my way here, I promise," he said. Will came back as well, and as he set Matt, Mike, Santana, and Brittany on choreography, Finn turned to Jacob. "Cool if I take my spot back?" he asked.

"Quite," Jacob looked down at the stain on his pants and Rachel. "I was just here because I was hoping to get into Rachel's pants."

Finn looked torn between laughing and retching as Jacob left him standing next to Rachel, who immediately asked, "You okay?"

"Don't worry about me, okay?" Finn replied. "This is all up to you now. You wanted the solo? You wanted the chance to be a star? This is your chance. Don't screw it up." He smiled at her before joining the dancers.

"And now, our final team: McKinley High's New Directions!" the announcer, true to his title, announced as the curtain lifted over Rachel.

She started off weak enough to purposefully hide herself from the spotlight, but by the end of the song, she was engaged in the theatrics that marked her as Rachel Berry, unrestrained diva…and it was far beyond glorious.

_Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter. Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter.  
><em>_Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade.  
><em>_Don't tell me not to fly, I've simply got to. If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you.  
><em>_Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade?  
><em>_I'll march my band out, I'll beat my drum, and if I'm fanned out.  
><em>_Your turn at bat, sir, at least I didn't fake it, hat sir. I guess I didn't make it.  
><em>_But whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection, a freckle on the nose of life's complexion,  
><em>_The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye! I gotta fly one, I gotta try once. Only can die once, right sir?  
><em>_Oh, life is juicy, juicy, and you'll see. I've gotta have my bite, sir.  
><em>_Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a comer. I've simply gotta march. My heart's a drummer!  
><em>_Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade!  
><em>_I'm gonna live and life now, get what I want, I know how.  
><em>_One roll for the whole shebang, one throw, that bell will go clang.  
><em>_Eye on the target, and wham, one shot, one gunshot, and BAM!  
><em>_Hey, Mr. Arnstein, here I am! I'll march my band out. I'll beat my drum.  
><em>_And if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir. At least I didn't fake it, hat, sir.  
><em>_I guess I didn't make it. Get ready for me, love, 'cause I'm a comer. I've simply gotta march.  
><em>_My heart's a drummer. Nobody, no, nobody is gonna rain on my parade!_

The audience rose to its feet in a standing ovation and Rachel seemed close to tears as she reintroduced ND before they launched into Finn's new song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The audience was enraptured, including Emma (who turned out to have even bigger eyes when she was crying), and the Jane Addams and Haverbrook coaches looked like they had both been shot in the stomach, then the head when Tina and Kurt closed with their "True Colors" duet.

As the final notes of the song disappeared into nothing, Tina and Kurt snuck grateful looks at Blaine, who gave her a thumbs-up.

* * *

><p>12:15 pm found all of New Directions pressing their ears to the doors of the judges' rooms.<p>

"Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it," a woman (whom Rachel recognized in hushed tones as "Candace Dystra, 5th Runner-Up Miss Ohio 2006!") began. "This is a **singing** competition. I don't know how those **deaf** kids got in. They weren't singing, they were, like, **honking**, and everyone was crying, and I was like, 'Get off the stage! You're terrible and you're making me **super** uncomfortable!"

"So are we winning?" Finn asked eagerly.

"Wait, I think I heard Sue Sylvester's boyfriend, Rod Remington," Santana shushed him.

"Now, hold on just a second, Candy," voiced a slick baritone. "Those Haverhurst kids twice had me reaching for my handkerchief, and those Jane Addams girls? Had it going in all the right places," he said in a slimy way that made Blaine shiver.

"Can I just say something?" another woman began speaking.

"That's Donna Landries," Kurt recognized. "Ohio Vice Comptroller, state-paid cynic," he explained to those ignorant.

"I have no idea what the hell I'm doing here! I'm serious! I don't understand what a glee club is, and I have never even hear the term 'show choir' until about three hours ago when my boss told me he had tickets to NASCAR, and I had to fill in at this fool event."

"So, we're losing?" Finn sounded confused.

"Those Jane Addams girls?" Ms. Landries continued. "I'll be damned if I didn't apportion hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars to that school so they can parade their behinds like a bunch of hoochie-hos!" Ms. Dystra followed with almost unintelligible appreciation of New Direction's energy despite obvious lack of rehearsal time, causing all the ND members to look at each other in delight.

"I have to admit I have a soft spot for The Rolling Stones," Rod Remington said dreamily. "I was at Altamont Speedway in '69. I actually saw that guy get stabbed; can't get that image out of my noggin' to this day!" Ms. Mumbling Dystra sounded like she agreed wholeheartedly.

Ms. Landries was still less happy. "If I had to pick a group that I hated the least-" but ND was distracted by the arrival of the rival groups' coaches, coming to resign just as the judges announced that they had made a decision.

* * *

><p><em>Of course I'm not going to tell you who won. And if you think ND is a surefire winner, well, it's my story and I can do what I want to it. Including have ND lose. Besides, Blaine's here. I can make things different, like not do the commercial that kicked Will out.<em>


	18. Tim McGraw

_Welcome one and all to chapter 18! Yeah, it turns out I can be very productive when I want to be, and right now I want to be. Also, other than not wanting to waste all the time I spent transcribing this episode (which was a tedious 80 minutes because I gave up on some parts), I have no excuse for all the flashbacks. None at all._

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in this story, including Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw," to which I changed some words._

* * *

><p>Chapter XVIII: Tim McGraw<p>

"So, what have you decided?" Rachel asked with some difficulty as everyone stared at the judges.

"That we really need to go to lunch," said Ms. Dastry.

"We've also decided on which group was the least terrible, but that can wait until after lunch," said Ms. Landries as the three walked away. Mr. Remington opened the door to reveal Sue Sylvester, whom he kissed and whom the entirety of ND wished death upon. Incensed, Will forgot the high that seeing Emma in the audience gave him and stalked up to Sue, who was wearing a black tracksuit with red stripes that looked like Hades and Satan conspired to make together.

"What kind of teacher are you?" Will seethed. "You leaked the set list, and you're not going to get away with it!"

"That is a libelous accusation," Sue replied casually. "You have no proof."

"You are the only person who had the list!" Will shouted, eyes threatening to leave his face.

"But other than that, you have no proof," Sue smiled as she rendered Will speechless with rage. "It's time to face facts, **William**. At 1:00 m this afternoon, your little club will have had its shot at the big time, and they will have **failed**. Glee Club will be cancelled, and all that money that Figgins has been funneling into your budget will finally and rightfully be restored to mine!"

"Don't think we're just going to let this go," a newly-emboldened Tina threatened.

"Bring it on!" Sue replied to the mezzo-soprano before returning her withering glare to Will. "I am reasonably confident you will be adding revenge to the long list of things you're no good at, right next to being married, running a high school glee club, and finding a hairstyle that doesn't make you look like a lesbian. Love you like a sister," she cooed sarcastically before kissing her fingers and pressing them to Will's lips.

"Get your hands off me," Will all but growled.

Sue simply shoved him backwards. "You're not going to push a woman, are you?" she said challengingly, daring him to retaliate in front of her boyfriend. When Will did nothing, she smiled evilly. "Didn't think so," she said, turning around to punch the air (and Will's ego) on her way out.

Desperate to come up with something uplifting, Rachel turned to Finn. "Why did you come back?" she asked.

Will smiled at the taller boy and regaled the club with the story of his day.

* * *

><p>"Thought I'd find you here," Will said from the door of the boys' locker room as Finn cleaned out his. "Sounds like something that could've waited until Monday," he nodded to the clothing.<p>

Finn deliberately chose not to look at him. "Football season's over," he said pointlessly. "Have you heard anything?" he asked. "I mean, you're back pretty early."

Will sighed heavily. "Look, Finn, the Glee situation is pretty desperate right now. We can't win without you."

"You don't need me, you have Puck. Apparently, he's better than me at everything, including sleeping with my girlfriend," Finn said, picking up his uniform and getting ready to leave.

"Finn, I know what you think of yourself, but you are special, no doubt about that," Will said, stopping him in his tracks.

Finn sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I just wish everything could be the way it was before-" something bright and golden flashed in his mind, but he didn't know how to put it into words. "Before sophomore year started," he decided to say finally.

Will put his keys down on the bench directly in front of Finn. "You can't always get what you want," he said meaningfully before leaving.

"You forgot your keys," Finn said, grabbing them and holding them out.

"No I didn't," Will replied without looking back. Finn followed him out to Will's car.

"Wait," Finn said. Will turned to see the boy smiling. "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"That was not nearly as epic as I thought I would be," Matt complained. "It was cooler when the other teams apologized," he said before pausing. "Why <strong>did<strong> they apologize, anyway?"

"Oh, that," Blaine blushed and told them what had happened to **him** that afternoon.

Will stared at the invitation in his hands and ran out.

* * *

><p>The Haverbrook coach treated the coach from Jane Addams to a bag of pretzels. "One of us is going to win this thing," he said by way of explanation. But the bags hadn't even been opened when Blaine walked up to them.<p>

"You cowards used **our** set list," he said fiercely.

"No we didn't," both coaches denied immediately.

Blaine shook his head. "Sue Sylvester doesn't do BS, but that's clearly all you guys ever do," he said threateningly as he walked closer. "You two are supposed to be educators," he said, "educators to kids who've never had a good role model in their lives. What kind of role model do you think you're being? What kind of educator do you think you're being?" He left them looking at each other in shame so he could tell everyone to go to the green room.

* * *

><p>"That is so cool!" Mike smiled and tossed his arm around Blaine's shoulder. "You know, you're one cool Asian dude," he said. Blaine smiled back as Tina welcomed him to the family.<p>

* * *

><p>Will found the Edward J. Veasey Memorial VFW Hall Post 1275 lavishly decorated, but empty, save for Emma in her wedding gown.<p>

"Where's Ken?" he asked.

"Home, I'd imagine," Emma sighed. "Probably trying to regain some of the pride that I stole from him," she elaborated. When Will still looked perplexed, Emma added, "He dumped me. He said moving the wedding for Sectionals was the last straw."

"I'm sure Ken understood the situation," Will said.

"He understood it too well," Emma said gently. "You're the one who didn't understand anything," she noted sadly.

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

Emma looked like she was ready to breathe fire. "I didn't go to Sectionals for the kids; I went to Sectionals for you, Will!" she burst into tears.

Will stared in shock until Emma finally stood to leave. Then he grabbed her arm to keep her from leaving"I just left my wife," he said desperately.

"Exactly," Emma replied sadly. "You **just** did." And she left to change.

* * *

><p>"What do we do?" Tina asked worriedly.<p>

"What can we do?" Mike threw his hands up in the air in a gesture of helplessness.

"We have to do something," Quinn wrung her hands.

"There's nothing we can do," Puck shrugged.

"Well, maybe if we-no, that'd be stupid," Matt sighed.

"Guys, come on, we're supposed to be a cohesive team. We have to do something," Finn stood up in front of the class and declared.

"You guys have heard already?" Kurt was surprised as he walked in.

"That today is Emma Pillsbury's last day?" Will asked. "Yes, we've all heard."

"Oh," Kurt pulled out his phone and saw the frenzied text messages he had missed. "Oops."

"How can you not be panicking about this, Kurt?" Rachel demanded.

"Because he knows that Glee Club is just a joke," Santana said.

"Seriously, though, this would never have happened if you guys just stopped bothering her so much," Mercedes said.

Kurt opened his mouth to defend himself, but Blaine cut in.

"We had a pretty late night last night," he said. "No, not like that, Puck," he added quickly.

"Did you spend 2030 playing peek-a-boo with the angels too?" asked Brittany to a thoroughly uncaring crowd.

"Um, no," said Kurt warily, turning away from her.

"We were thinking over our set list, and we came up with some good ideas," Blaine explained.

"Oh, do tell," Will said, sitting down next to the piano. "I have no ideas."

"You look like you had no sleep too," said Tina, concerned. "Did something happen, Mr. Schue?"

Will sighed. "Terri faked her pregnancy," he said. Quinn suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "I just don't understand why she would do this to me," he growled in frustration. "Haven't I always been a good husband?" Now everyone looked uncomfortable, which Will picked up on. "What?" he asked almost defensively.

Matt took a deep breath. "It's nothing bad, Mr. Schue," he started, "it's just that you kind of…pay more attention to Miss Pillsbury than your wife sometimes."

"Miss Pillsbury and I work together, and that's all," Will said bitterly, tossing some music into the trash bin.

"Wait!"Rachel piped up, pointing to it. "What is that?"

Will looked at the sheets in his hand and smiled weakly. "Barbra Streisand," he replied.

Rachel squealed, jumped forward, and snatched the music out of his hands as Kurt dragged Blaine outside by his ear.

"What the hell was any of that?" he demanded. "What was this 'we have good ideas' stupidity?"

Blaine shrugged Kurt's hands off his shoulders uncomfortably. "I'm just not ready for them to know yet," he replied.

"Mike already does," Kurt reminded. "Who do you think told me to follow you? And what about Sam? How do you think I found out?"

"Sam? Sam Evans?" now Blaine was alarmed. "How do you know Sam?"

"Alternate universe," Kurt waved it away. "Wait, how do you know Sam?"

Blaine swallowed and bit his tongue.

Kurt knew something ominous was going on, but he couldn't for the life of him think of something that would make Blaine answer him.

"Blaine Anderson and Santana Lopez?" Lauren Zizes, decidedly not a serial killer, walked in. "Principal Figgins wants to see you two in his office."

"Oh, sure," Blaine said, forcing a horribly fake smile that Lauren easily saw through but didn't care enough to mention. "Lead the way."

* * *

><p>The following Monday, Figgins had Will, Sue, Santana, and Blaine in his office.<p>

"Both coaches at last weekend's singing competition admitted to receiving the McKinley set list from one Sue Sylvester," the principal informed them.

"You have no proof," Sue said immediately.

Santana peered over Sue's shoulder. "Actually, that looks like the Cheerios letterhead," she pointed to a piece of paper on which the songs were written.

"I didn't do it," Sue countered.

"The Cheerios letterhead says 'From the Desk of Sue Sylvester,'" Santana explained to Blaine, who was too short to see over her, Sue, or Will.

"Circumstantial evidence," Sue threw out.

"The songs titles are in your handwriting," Will pointed out.

"Forgeries," Sue was quickly losing ground.

"There is an **orgy** of evidence stacked against you!" Figgins exploded.

Blaine and Santana looked at each other at the particularly strong phrasing.

"Well, you've clearly made up your mind not to impartial in this case," Sue said with false exasperation, "so let's see if you can't wrap up this little lecture, slap me on the wrist, and let me get back to whipping my squad of champions into shape." She stood and started to head toward the door. "We have to be in Albuquerque in a couple of weeks for Nationals."

"Sue," Figgins ordered, "sit down!" Once Sue leaned on the back of the chair she had been sitting on, he continued. "As of today, you are no longer coach of the Cheerios." Blaine froze as chaos reigned. Figgins had to repeat himself several times before finally shouting, "All this time, I thought Mr. Schuester was overreacting, and frankly, I was too willing to look past your monkeyshines because you kept winning. But now you've gone too far; you have embarrassed yourself and besmirched the name of William McKinley!"

"A **failed** president," Sue was not doing herself any favors.

"The greatest one who ever lived!" Figgins replied. "You are suspended from this school as of **today**. My word is official!" he slapped his desk. "Let it be written!"

Sue knew she was beaten, so she left, but her eyes smoldered, and everyone was excused to keep her from killing everyone in sight, and a couple people out of sight too. Very soon, however, they were in Sue's sights. She slammed Will against the wall, hands fisted in his collar.

"Here's what happens now," Sue said. "I'm going to head on down to my condo in Boca, brown up a bit, get myself back into fighting shape, and then I'm going to return to this school even more hell-bent on your destruction." She slammed him against the wall a second time. "You are about to board the Sue Sylvester Express, destination: horror!" she let go. "Prepare to be crushed!" she concluded, storming down the hallway and tossing a few cheerleaders and hapless freshman out of her way, or more out of her way, as she left.

"Come on," Blaine said as he and Santana each grabbed one of Will's arms. "You need a pick-me-up performance." They walked into the choir room, in the middle of which was the first-place trophy they had unanimously received by merit of the competition being disqualified.

Kurt opened his mouth and sang directly to Blaine, even though he was on the other side of the stage, walking closer and closer with every note.

_You said the way my blue eyes shined put those Lima stars to shame that night. I said "That's a lie."  
>Just a boy in a Navigator that had a tendency of getting stuck on back roads at night<br>And I was right there beside you, all summer long. And the time we woke up to find that summer gone._

Blaine knew he was referring to his revelation, and guilt stabbed his chest before Kurt grabbed his hand and started to dance with him. It was like they were alone on the stage.

_But when you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think my favorite song  
>The one we danced to all night long, the moon like a spotlight on the lake<br>When you think happiness, I hope you think of your hair's black mess  
>Think of my head on your chest, and my old, faded blue jeans<br>When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me_

Now it was Blaine's turn to sing, and he sang directly to Kurt while thinking of all the good times they had shared.

_September saw a month of tears, and thanking Gaga you weren't here to see me like that.  
>But in a box beneath my bed is a letter that you never read, from two summers back.<br>It's hard not to find it all a little bittersweet, and looking back on all of that, it's nice to believe._

Blaine wanted Kurt to know that he loved him enough to let Kurt just move on if it all went badly.

_When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think my favorite song  
>The one we danced to all night long, the moon like a spotlight on the lake<br>When you think happiness, I hope you think of my hair's black mess  
>Think of my head on your chest, and my old, faded blue jeans<br>When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me_

Kurt's eyes flashed and he lifted his head just a little, refusing to back down and leave Blaine to deal with his father alone.

_And I'm back for the first time since then. I'm standing on your street.  
>And there's a letter left on your doorstep, and the first thing that you'll read<br>Is when you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think my favorite song  
>Someday you'll turn your radio on. I hope it takes you back to that place.<em>

Blaine joined Kurt for the final half of the verse, both looking at each other and promising to keep the other in their hearts.

_When you think happiness, I hope you think of my hair's black mess  
>Think of my head on your chest, and my old, faded blue jeans.<br>When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me. Oh, think of me. Mmm._

Kurt's voice faded away and Blaine stood alone on a dark stage.

_He said the way my brown eyes shined put those Lima stars to shame that night. I said "That's a lie."_

They kissed, of course, before Blaine pulled Kurt back to decidedly not-kiss him. Will took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. He stared at it for a long while before bolting out of the room and found Emma ready to take her first unemployed step out of McKinley. Will pulled her back and kissed her.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, I just want to make something clear. <em>Glee_ does a lot of songs differently than they've been written. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," anyone? When Heather and I were discussing this number, we thought of Kurt and Blaine singing it in a hopeful way. Rather than the message being that Kurt is getting over a break-up, he's actually telling Blaine that he's going to be there for Blaine in every song they hear, and Blaine telling Kurt to move on if it all fails and Blaine dies anyway (the letter under Blaine's bed is a love letter)._

_So, who caught the "Blink" reference, huh? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that there's a woman dumped off a TARDIS and that there are still two people in a blue box flying around. Next time, Pearl comes under fire._


	19. My Immortal

_Because Taylor Swift doesn't have any songs with "hello" in the title, I used one by Evanescence. "My Immortal" is not the actual song used in this chapter, but I know that Evanescence is more known for their song "My Immortal" than any of their other songs, and they're not as well known as Taylor Swift. Also, the title needs some of it's legitimacy back after Tara Gilesbie straight-up MURDERED it! Seriously, I can't even listen to the song on the radio anymore without dying a little inside, and not in the way the song's supposed to make you feel._

_Disclaimer: As I am not Amy Lee, I don't own "Hello," by Evanescence. Also, I wouldn't want to be Amy Lee because some of her Christian rock stuff just grates on my nerves. And the whistle is from sixth_ Criminal Minds_ episode of their first season, called "L.D.S.K."_

* * *

><p>Chapter XIX: My Immortal<p>

That night, Blaine went home to see Pearl standing outside his room, eyes flashing. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

She stood up straighter and glared. "If he's just going to dump me here, he should expect consequences," she said cryptically.

"What are you talking about?" Blaine asked.

Pearl sighed. "I asked the Doctor to take me home, but he dropped me off in my house in this universe instead."

Blaine didn't even pretend to understand. "Look," he said, tugging her into his room, "you have to be quiet, okay? My parents can't know you're here."

"I can't just let them hurt you!" a strained expression came over the woman's face as she opened her mouth in preparation to yell before Blaine clapped a hand over her mouth. Her expression turned exasperated and she turned to Blaine with "what the hell" written all over her face.

"Don't you have a way of contacting the Doctor before he ruins your life and you ruin mine?" Blaine hissed. Pearl looked thoughtful for a second before pulling out her cell phone.

However, she remained true to her word; although he could hear his parents' anger, they didn't hurt him that night.

* * *

><p>The next day, Blaine walked into the music room cheerfully. "What's with the stick figure art in the white board?" he asked, referring to Stickman saying "Hello."<p>

"Excellent segue into this week's lesson, Blaine," said Will. "What do you say when you answer the phone?" he asked the kids.

"What up?" Mercedes sassed.

"Who this be?" Matt finally spoke.

"No, she's dead, this is her son," Kurt deadpanned somberly. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's shoulders and squeezed.

"When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he thought the best way to answer it was 'Ahoy, ahoy.' It was actually Thomas Edison who started making 'Hello' the standard phone greeting."

"No offense, Mr. Schue," Mercedes said, "but what does this have to do with us?"

"We need to raise our game for Regionals," Will said, gesturing to the trophy that would've gone to Haverbrook. "Now, clearly, what we've been doing hasn't been working. So, we need to start from scratch and reintroduce ourselves to the world. And we're going to do that by each coming up with a song with _hello_ in the title."

Will left everyone in the room thoroughly unenthused. The only person who was showing much emotion was Rachel, who was currently glaring at Finn from across the room as Brittany and Santana, pinkies curled around the other's, reminded him of their 8:00 date at Breadsticks.

"Cool," Finn smiled as Santana and Brittany walked away giggling.

Rachel immediately walked up to Finn. "What did they want?" she demanded?

"They, uh, wanted the time," Finn was a terrible liar, and he knew it as he hurriedly tried to leave Rachel behind. Blaine came up behind her and patted her sympathetically on the shoulder.

"What doesn't he see in me?" Rachel hissed, putting her head in her hands.

Blaine sighed. Why was he always getting caught up in this drama? "Finn's a scared little boy. He's afraid of dating you because he thinks it might hurt his reputation, which, though he'd never admit it, is very important to him. He hates what Quinn did to him, not because it hurt, but because it was so humiliating," he tried to explain.

Rachel stood up resolutely and ran after Finn. "I know it's not easy being my boyfriend," she said, "I'm not popular, and I can be fairly high-maintenance. But I'll always be honest with you and I only want you to be honest with me."

"I don't think I want to be your boyfriend," Finn said honestly. While Rachel was still shocked into silence, he added, "I need to find out who I am before settling down."

"I'll tell you who you are," Rachel said.

"Hey," Kurt came up behind Blaine, distracting him for a second as they kissed. They walked past the quarrelling couple.

"You're freaking me out," Finn told Rachel. "It's like you're inside my head right now."

"And what an empty wasteland that is," Kurt sighed into Blaine's ear.

"I'm the only person who knows you and accepts you for who you are," Rachel sounded like she was about to cry.

* * *

><p>It came as a surprise to no one when, after hearing Santana and Brittany agree that Hawaiian pizza was the best because it had both ham and pineapple, Rachel was the first to volunteer to sing a "Hello" song—All-American Rejects' "Gives You Hell." Although the entire group, save the boy Rachel was singing the song to, was eventually dancing to the song, Will reminded them that "hello" and "hell" are separate ideas.<p>

"Remember," he said, "we have to face Vocal Adrenaline, and they haven't lost a competition in three years. And if we don't place at Regionals, there won't be any more Glee." Frustrated, Will exited the room and walked toward where a certain strawberry-blonde was waiting for him in a car.

"Why exactly do you want me to drive you to a rehearsal for your rival?" Pearl asked.

"You said you wanted to oversee all our performances, you're going to have to do some things for us," Will said crossly. He looked and her and jumped. "What happened to your face?" he asked dumbly before wincing at his tone.

Pearl shrugged and kept driving. It didn't matter to her whether or not Will Schuester failed at all his relationships or not, and the purple-pinkish bruise on the side of her face didn't bother her either.

At the rehearsal of "Highway to Hell," Pearl nodded at the gay boy singing lead as the pyrotechnics went off. When the song was over, the director laid into them.

"Stop, please, dear God, just stop. Seriously, guys?" Shelby Corcoran began. "It's like watching beige paint dry. Now, everyone, observe Jesse for a moment," everyone obeyed. "Give us a show face, Jesse!" Shelby ordered.

Jesse smiled so hugely that his neck expanded grotesquely. Pearl and Will looked at each other, then back at him.

"That's a show face, guys," Shelby congratulated him. "You want to look so talented that it's literally hurting you. I want a look that's so optimistic, it could cure cancer." Everyone smiled hugely, and she nodded in approval. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Okay, take five, and everybody drink a Red Bull," she waved them off.

"Do you have cancer?" Will leaned over and asked Pearl.

"No, but I'm feeling as nauseous as a chemotherapy patient," Pearl responded, slightly green.

"Ms. Corcoran," Will stood and walked over to the woman, not wanting another woman to throw up on his shoes. "I'm William Schuester."

"I don't know who you are," Shelby responded.

"I'm a big fan," Will began. When Shelby smiled condescendingly, he added, "I'm also the coach of McKinley High School's Glee Club."

Shelby's smile slipped off her face like the butter in Will's hair. "I don't usually cotton too well to my competition sneaking in to watch a rehearsal. But I also have trouble seeing you guys as competition," she started to walk away.

"I'm going to let that pass in favor of letting you know that **your** lead singer is dating **my** lead singer," Will said, causing Shelby to pause.

"Don't worry, Jesse's a good kid, and I wouldn't tolerate any funny business," Shelby said. "What can you do? The heart wants what the heart wants. Sometimes there's that little spark," she added with a shrug.

Will turned back to Pearl, who not only hadn't thrown up, but was standing and laughing. Frustrated, Will left the building.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Blaine, Tina, Artie, Kurt, and Mercedes stood in the room waiting for Rachel.<p>

"What is this?" the soprano asked as she entered.

"This is an intervention," Blaine tried to start off gentle.

"We all think Jesse's just dating you to spy on us," Artie said bluntly.

"I asked Blaine's mother this morning," said Kurt, ignoring the sharp look Blaine sent his direction, "and she said that Vocal Adrenaline's motto roughly translates to 'murder or be murdered,'"

"VA d-d-d-dopes their d-dancers," Tina reminded Rachel haltingly.

"Look, we're not saying that he's playing you," Mercedes tried to play peacemaker.

"He's playing you," Kurt was having none of it.

"What Kurt means is that there's a chance he's playing you," Blaine put a restraining hand on Kurt's arm. "We want you to stay away from him, just until Regionals are over."

"And if I don't?" Rachel crossed her arms in a challenge.

The five kids looked at each other and talked amongst themselves for a few minutes. Finally, Artie wheeled himself up to Rachel. "If you don't quit Jesse, we'll all quit Glee Club, and we won't be able to compete at Regionals," he said with complete sincerity.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for driving me," Rachel said meekly from the front seat.<p>

"No problem," Pearl smiled reassuringly. And it really wasn't. Stealing the car with her mother's ID was a much bigger problem. She frowned when she saw how dark the building was and took off something on a dyed-rainbow string. "This is my friend Spencer Reid's whistle," she said, handing it to Rachel. "Blow on it if you need anything."

Rachel took it and nodded seriously and got on Vocal Adrenaline's dim stage. When she started calling for Jesse, a spotlight turned directly on her, blinding her. "Who's there?" she called out. "I have a rape whistle!"

The silhouette walking toward her turned out to be Jesse. "Most spots are 2,500 watts," he said. "This one is ten times brighter," he gestured to the light. "We have to wear sunscreen on stage, but it's worth it," he said.

"I have to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth, because if you don't, there will be consequences, life and death consequences," Rachel said, approaching Jesse. "Because if I give myself to you, and it turns out you're just playing me, I might die. Not literally, but emotionally. It'll be the kind of heartbreak that girls like me hold for the rest of their lives, like Barbra in _The Way We Were_."

Jesse laughed and pulled Rachel into a hug. "You're more of a drama queen than I am," he said just before stepping back and offering her his hand. "Well, you've already met the star of Vocal Adrenaline. Now it's time to meet me, just me: the guy who's nuts about you, the guy who would never hurt you."

Rachel and Jesse hugged, and she took the opportunity to whisper "Nobody can know we're dating," in his ear. They kissed, and while Rachel may have had her eyes closed, Jesse stared at Shelby, who was approached by Pearl.

"You'd do anything for your only child, wouldn't you?" Pearl asked sympathetically. Shelby nodded. "Even break her heart," Pearl's voice got far harsher.

Shelby turned to her. "Who the hell are you?"

"The mother of Blaine Anderson," Pearl said, extending her hand. "I need your help."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kurt found Blaine staring nervously at the Glee room and smiled. "Hey," he said by way of greeting. "How are you feeling?"<p>

"Much better now that you're here," Blaine answered with a kiss.

Their hands found each other's and Kurt squeezed, as if asking, "Are you ready?"

Blaine smiled sadly. "I could never be ready for this," he said honestly, "but I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He squeezed back. "Stay with me?" his eyes pleaded.

Kurt's response was another squeeze. "Always," he promised. The boys turned to the doors and entered together.

"Mr. Schue," Blaine spoke up quietly, "Kurt and I have a song we would like to sing."

"And then Blaine has an announcement to make," Kurt added with a reassuring "you can do it" squeeze of his boyfriend's hand.

Will nodded and gestured to the middle of the room. Kurt patted Blaine's hand before letting go and taking the floor.

_Playground school bell rings again.  
>Rain clouds come to play again. Has no one told you she's not breathing?<br>Hello, I am your mind giving you someone to talk to. Hello._

Blaine pulled away and began to sing back to Kurt.

_If I smile and don't believe, soon I know I'll wake from this dream.  
>Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken.<br>Hello, I am the lie living for you so you can hide. Don't cry_

Blaine and Kurt sang together as they danced across the room.  
><em>Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping.<br>Hello, I'm still here, all that's left of yesterday._

The song finished, Blaine reluctantly let go of Kurt again and faced the rest of New Directions. "I understand that we all need to prepare for Regionals," he began, "but I want-"

"He needs you all with him," Kurt interrupted, joining his boyfriend's side again. "Blaine needs all your support when he tries to get emancipated from his parents' custody."

"Why would he need that?" asked Puck. "I mean, he has cooks and a chauffeur."

Blaine snorted. "Hell probably also has cooks and a chauffeur somewhere in there," he said.

"What, did your parents make you eat your veggies?" Santana snorted.

"Seriously, Blaine," Mercedes said. "Every one of us here would kill to have your life."

"Wait a second, guys," Rachel said. "Homophobia isn't limited to the less financially fortunate," she turned to Blaine. "Do your parents disapprove?" she asked astutely.

Blaine was grateful for Rachel's frank forwardness for once. "Yes,' he said quietly.

Immediately, the group roared in indignation.

"I'm going to have to cut a bitch!" Mercedes hollered.

Blaine's knees almost gave out. They had his back!

Suddenly, Kurt's mouth was at his ear, nibbling. "What did I tell you?" he whispered. "They love you, and you don't abandon family."

Blaine turned and kissed Kurt. "How did I get so lucky?" he whispered back.

"You love me?" Kurt responded hopefully.

Blaine leaned forward and kissed Kurt. "I do," he said. "I love you."

Kurt's breathing stopped for a second as he looked at his boyfriend, who suddenly looked hurt.

"Did I say something wrong?" Blaine asked quietly, already retreating.

Suddenly, Kurt lunged forward and gave Blaine possibly the deepest kiss he had ever received. "I love you too," Kurt said , nibbling on Blaine's ear. Blaine smiled; his life was finally going to improve.

Just then, Miss Pillsbury burst into the room without her customarily cautious knock. "Blaine Anderson?" she called with eyes wider than they were when Kurt had thrown up on her.

"Yes?" Blaine stood up, knowing that he was wrong.

"Your father's in the hospital."

* * *

><p><em>So, now New Directions knows, and it looks like Cailean's in trouble...again. -snicker- Anyhow, I always wondered what happened to the whistle, so I made Reid give it to Pearl as a present. And it looks like Blaine's going to be stuck with his mother for a few days. Next time, Madonna! (And yes, I will put a Madonna song in the title. Sorry Taylor, but she was here before you.)<em>

_I hope you all had an extraordinary merry Christmas, and I'll see you all in two days._


	20. Vogue

_I cannot believe this has been going on for this long. The last time I wrote something 20 chapters long, it took a month. Okay, enjoy the first part of "The Power of Madonna" in the AU, and know that I'm writing chapter 21._

_And a note to OhMyGlee55: please make the DocX connection so I can start sending you the chapters to edit. Thanks! And thanks for noticing that, at some point, I made a sentence hop up about five lines (wtf?)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Vogue," which I barely used, by Madonna Ciccone._

* * *

><p>Chapter XX: Vogue<p>

Blaine pushed the door open to the left and ran out with Figgins' note clutched in his hand and ran to the bus stop. Next to him, a car slowed down and a woman with a bruised face stuck it out at him.

"Hi Blaine," Pearl smiled. "Hop in!"

Blaine bit his lip and only hesitated a moment before climbing into the car. He trusted this woman, but he didn't know why. "Do you know what happened to my father?" he asked.

Mr. Anderson's route home intersected with Shelby's in only one spot. "He was out late last night," Pearl said. She had been talking to Shelby at the exact moment they turned **that** corner.

The image of himself lying in a room full of blood made Blaine physically ill. Seeing his expression, Pearl quickly added, "It was a hit-and-run." She had talked Shelby into driving away before her license was pulled and Rachel heard about her from far less positive means than Jesse. "He's alive, but the doctors don't know how much nerve damage he's suffered. He could be paralyzed for life."

Blaine actually didn't think that would be so bad. _Maybe now, Dad will be nicer. _He immediately hated himself for that thought, for once not caring if his perfectly gelled hair was messed up when Pearl ruffled it and kept him from crying.

When the pair entered the hospital, Blaine immediately ran to his father's side. Pearl, not allowed inside the room because she wasn't family, could not hear what the man was saying, but judging from Blaine's falling face, it was nothing good.

_Will this nightmare ever end? _She sighed and sat down, picking up a book that looked like it was about Madonna.

"Madonna," it began, "simply saying the world aloud makes me feel powerful, even on paper. Ho I have worshipped her ever since I was a little girl. Other people might look up to false idols like Angie Jolie and Catherine the Great, but Madonna is the most powerful woman to ever walk the face of the earth."

"What are you doing with my diary?" Sue demanded.

Pearl looked up and smiled. "You should ask Figgins to play Madonna songs on the speakers if you like it so much," she said, closing the book with very deliberate slowness before handing it back to her.

Sue sneered, but there was a spark in her eyes.

"I need a favor," Pearl said point-blank. "I want every second of that boy's life," she pointed to Blaine, "bugged and wired 24/7, with sound."

Sue looked at him and snorted. "Why would I possibly help you?"

Pearl leaned forward. "You hate the Glee Club, right?" she asked. When Sue nodded, Pearl added, "Well, I can get him to join the Cheerios and quit Glee. And if you help me get Jesse St. James' transfer to go through, I'll add in Mercedes and that guy," she pointed to Blaine, "as a bonus."

Sue's face split into a grin. "You, madam, may be the first woman I've met more wicked than me," she stood. "Three Cheerios for an entire security store's worth of cameras—you've got yourself a deal," she extended her hand, and Pearl didn't even hesitate before shaking.

* * *

><p>"Last time we talked, I ran over a man," Shelby said, refusing to let Pearl enter her apartment. "I know that wasn't just you talking too much. I saw your smile when we hit that man."<p>

"I can get Jesse St. James transferred to McKinley by the end of the month," Pearl said, eyes flashing intensely. "I just need you to sew these cameras into the collars of these shirts," she tossed them in Shelby's arms.

Shelby looked Pearl up and down. "I'll have them for you by the end of the week," she said, "and then you promise to never darken my doorstep again."

Pearl shook off her conscience. "Done," she shook Shelby's hand.

* * *

><p>Sue walked into Figgins' office the very next morning. "I'm instating a new policy whereby we play Madonna's greatest hits over the PA system quite loudly throughout the entire school day."<p>

"But blasting her delicious hooks would make it impossible for the students to concentrate," Figgins protested.

"Who cares?" Sue shrugged. "Madonna abandoned college to hop on a cab to Manhattan with only $35 in her pocket. We should be encouraging our students to do the same. You say the word I will provide you with a list of the students I believe should be rounded up and shipped off immediately."

"This is insanity!" Figgins argued.

"What you call insanity, I call inspiration," Sue leaned close. "It's been the biggest dream of my career to pay homage to Madonna, the woman most responsible for my take-no-prisoners demeanor and my subconscious tendency to always be desperately looking for someone named Susan, and now my Cheerios squad finally has the talent to make that dream come true. You will not take that dream from me," Sue stood. "Do you not understand the blackmail process and how it works."

Behind her, Will called out. Sue nodded for Pearl to bring out Sue's laptop before going to torment the Spanish teacher further.

"How the hell did you get reinstated?" Will demanded.

Sue smirked. "Well, William, since your stupidity is probably going to get yourself suspended someday, I might as well share my secrets. While I raged in my Boca condo, I realize the error of my ways, so I arranged to explain myself to Figgins face-to-face over dinner."

Back inside the room, the video Pearl played showed Figgins something he'd rather forget.

It started with Figgins asleep in a bed. He awoke and saw Sue lying next to him, blanket pulled up to her neck, and speaking. "So here's what's going to happen. As of right now, I am reinstated, or I will tell your wife and the entire congregation of the Cornerstone Bibleway Church of our sexual congress. It's your choice." She pulled out a camera to take a picture of herself smiling next to a stricken Figgins before pulling the blanket down to reveal her tracksuit.

Sue smirked at Figgins' expression before turning back to Will. "We had a very frank and healing discussion. And you know what, Will? It was like he was seeing me and my moral integrity for the very first time."

Will sighed. "Well, I guess this is the way it's always going to be. How about we call it even and bury the hatchet?" he stuck out his hand.

Sue didn't even look at it. "I won't be burying any hatchets, Will, unless I get a clear shot to your groin. I will not rest until you're fired and the Glee Club is **destroyed**!"

"Bring it," Will said, hand at his side.

"Oh, I will bring it, William," Sue smiled evilly. "You know what else I'm gonna bring? I'm gonna bring some Asian cookery to rub your head with, 'cause right now you've got enough product in your hair to season a wok." Behind her, "Justify My Love" began playing in an earsplitting volume. Sue grinned and walked away.

* * *

><p>"Why are we here?" Kurt demanded.<p>

"Yeah," Mercedes said. "Kurt and I need to work out the best way for me to knock Blaine's mother flat on the ground, and Blaine should be talking to an emancipation lawyer."

"I just wanted you all to first see how a real team works," Pearl insisted. "You might want to tell Mr. Schuester about it."

Sue walked in front of the Cheerios and hollered, "Santana, what does your bracelet say?"

Santana looked at the band and answered, "WWMD."

"What would Madonna do?" Sue explained. "Well, the answer to that is usually, 'date a younger man,' so let's see some **arm candy**, girls!"

Some of the younger girls looked at each other apprehensively, which got Sue's attention. "Sorry freshman," she said sarcastically. "You're going to have to start **trolling** the middle schools." Sue walked to the bottom of the bleachers so that her butt was directly in Pearl's face. "If you want to be as riveting a performer as Madonna—a skill that will nab us **Nationals** this year—you're going to have to start **thinking** like her. **Acting** like her," she paced. "Also, a la Madonna, I will no longer acknowledge that any of you have last names. Becky Jackson!" Becky gasped, apprehensive. "From now on, you're just Becky!" Becky relaxed and smiled. "It's like Madonna once said," Sue continued, '"I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know what I want, and if that makes me a bitch, okay.' I'm pretty sure she stole that line from one Sue Sylvester," she smiled proudly as the Cheerios stared. "No, really, she stole it from me. I said it first, Palladium, '87."

Pearl turned and saw that everyone had gone. She sighed and walked out as well, getting stuck behind an Asian girl wheeling a boy down the hall.

"I thought a lot about it," said Artie. "I thought a lot about it, and I forgive you for lying about your stutter. However, if you're planning on getting all up on this," he gestured to his body, "I'm going to need you to make some changes. The goth thing was two years ago, so maybe lose the vampire makeup, and consider some tighter-fitting clothing. You've got the POW, and I believe you should work it more if we're going to be an item."

Both Tina and Pearl were frozen in rage

* * *

><p>"The fact is, women still earn seventy cents to every dollar that a man does for doing the same job. That attitude starts in high school," Quinn said the next day when Pearl walked past on her way to the gymnasium. She had some business to take care of; namely, she had to pay Sue for the thousands of dollars worth of cameras.<p>

She froze when she saw the Cheerios. Some were on stilts, some were dancing…on stilts, and some were being spun around…still on stilts. "Are you seeing this?" Pearl asked Sue, who nodded tersely. "Was there something in the coffee this morning?"

"I wish," Sue snorted and raised her megaphone. "Sloppy freak show babies!" she yelled. "Somewhere in the English countryside in a stately manor home, Madonna is **weeping**! Hit the showers!" She put down her microphone and sniffed the air before walking past Pearl to see William Schuester. "Oh, hey William," she smiled evilly. "I thought I smelled cookies wafting from the ovens of the little elves who live in your hair."

Will ignored her statement. "That was a pretty legendary show," he said finally.

"Yeah, well, Madonna's a legend," Sue crossed her arms, "and I want my girls to learn all the lessons she has to offer. There's nobody quite like the Material girl to empower my Cheerios, just like your hairdresser has empowered you to look absolutely ridiculous."

Rather than respond, Will smiled. "I've just had an idea," he said, waving her goodbye.

Sue shrugged and turned back to the dejected Cheerios. "You think this is hard?" she yelled through her megaphone. "I'm passing a gallstone as we speak. That's hard!"

Pearl settled down to watch the video streaming from the water-proof, voice-activated cameras, knowing at least one of them would be recording 24/7.

* * *

><p>In the music room, Will wrote MADONNA on the marker board. "What do you think of when you see this name?" he asked, pointing.<p>

"Genius," Rachel jumped.

"Icon," Kurt said with a customary hair-flip.

"Hall-of-fame MILF," Puck replied. Pearl snickered.

Will looked a little confused for a second before he smiled. "I'm glad you can see Madona's musical and cultural significance, because this week's assignment to do a Madonna number."

Half the room fell silent; the other half roared her (and Kurt's) approval.

"As a dude," Puck began, "Madonna makes me kind of uncomfrotable."

"Yeah, she's smoking," Finn nodded his agreement, "but can't some of us do something else? Like, the guy version of Madonna?"

"Who would be the guy version of Madonna?" Pearl muttered.

"Yeah, like Pantera?" Artie asked.

"Guys, I am astounded at how little faith you have in Madonna," Will reprimanded the boys. "It's come to my attention that some of you guys haven't been treating the girls as well as you could. You're disrespectful, bullying, sexist, and—I hate to say it—misogynistic."

Finn's eyes went wide. "I have no idea what that means."

"When I pulled my hamstring, I went to a misogynist?" Brittany tried.

Will ignored her. "You guys need understand what it's like for the girls. Madonna's legacy transcends her music because the subtext of her songs is about being strong and independent and confident, not matter what your sex. But more than anything, Madonna's musical message is about equality, and that's something I think you guys need to work on," he said as the girls and Kurt nodded.

Kurt raised his hand. "I know this isn't part of the assignment, but an honest conversation about Ms. Ciccone needs the iconic imagery as indelible as her songs. I vote to tackle a multimedia project. With Mercedes and Blaine," he added, nodding at the delighted girl and grinning Blaine.

"Look, I got nothing against hot moms, but I don't think Madonna's stuff translates to show choir," Puck continued to protest.

"I beg to differ," Rachel ran over to the jazz band nearby and whispered some instructions before calling out, "Come on girls! Do you believe in love? 'Cause I got something to say about it, and it goes something like this!"

* * *

><p>The video feed grew static, then stopped, and there was only one person who would screw with her. Pearl looked up, ready to rip Sue a new one. Unfortunately, she found herself looking up at the Doctor instead. Her jaw dropped and she gulped.<p>

"What did you think you were doing?" he demanded.

"I was doing what I should have done a long time ago," Pearl replied. "I'm not afraid to fight you for the safety of my son's doppelganger."

The Doctor simply grabbed her collar and dragged her toward the TARDIS, passing Emma's office on the way.

Unfortunately, by the time they found her lining up her tape with her calculator, Sue was already laying into the redhead.

"I thought you might like to know that I've disconnected you from the school's announcement system," Sue's diatribe made even the pissed-off Doctor stop and listen. "You don't deserve to the power of Madonna, Arlene; you have all the sensuality of one of those pandas down at the zoo who refuse to mate." The Doctor and Pearl looked at each other, wincing at her harshness.

Then Sue started to sing, and the harshness that seemed a basic foundation to her voice disappeared.

_Grace Kelly, Harlow, Jean, picture of a beauty queen.  
>Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sue Sylvester, dance on air.<br>They had style, they had grace. Rita Hayworth gave good face.  
>Lauren, Katherine, Lana too. Will Schuester, I hate you.<br>Ladies with an attitude-_

An unexpected tug sent Pearl tumbling on the floor and Sue floated out of earshot. She glared at the Doctor. "What are you doing here? I was getting along just fine without you."

"Right," the Doctor snorted. "Is that why you've started drawing other women into your stupid scheme?" he demanded. "Is that why the Andersons have reported break-ins of their refrigerator?"

Pearl looked down. "I didn't think they'd notice."

"Thirtieth time's the charm, Pearl," the Doctor lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. "You can't keep doing this. You can't keep screwing things up."

"Maybe I'm not screwing things up," Pearl took a deep breath. "I've looked inside Blaine's head, Doctor. I think events were supposed to happen a certain way, but they didn't, and we're the ones who are supposed to make sure things get back on track."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You're just trying to make up excuses to change the timeline."

"No, I'm not," Pearl jerked her chin to the wall behind the Doctor, and he turned to see a crack on the wall, and Emma's door.

* * *

><p><em>I don't know what I feel about this chapter yet. Heather's in the hospital giving birth, and I can't be there because I'm not family. Not that I really want to see the baby, knowing it's proof she was intimate with someone who wasn't me. -sigh- And I can't be mean to her because she's pregnant and suffering. Ugh.<em>

_Pretty please review? It'll make me feel better hearing feedback from you guys. (Wow, playing a MAJOR sympathy card here.)_


	21. What it Feels Like For a Girl

_Quite a bit of plot, mixed with feminism. At least, that's what I hope you get from this. __Also, I'm now making this a Doctor Who crossover, because it's going to play a much bigger role that I didn't originally anticipate. Oh, and the cracks? I got the idea from the _Doctor Who_ episode "The Eleventh Hour." Also, this is the longest chapter for this story that I've ever written, which is fitting because this story is now the longest one I've ever written. Yay!_

_Pillsbury and Entenmann's are brands of pastries._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "What it Feels Like For a Girl," by Madonna._

* * *

><p>Chapter XXI: What it Feels Like For a Girl<p>

The Doctor let go of Pearl and laughed out loud. "Pearl, you're a genius!"

"I know that," Pearl looked confused. "Why are you so happy?"

"You see this door?" the Doctor swung open Emma's door to the left.

Pearl nodded, still not understanding.

The Doctor sighed and pointed to the door to Figgins' office. "Open that door," he directed. Pearl walked a few steps and obeyed. "Now do you see the difference?" he asked.

She stared for a few moments. "It opens the opposite way," she said, looking down at the rest of the doors in the hall. "Emma's door doesn't open the right way."

The Doctor looked at her happily. "Has Emma Pillsbury been acting strangely lately?" he asked.

"She always acts strangely," Pearl said. "I'm pretty sure she has OCD worse than the Emma Pillsbury of my world. But it could be worse," she added thoughtfully. "She could be named Emma Entenmann here."

The Doctor looked at her. "I dropped you off at your home back in your universe," he said. "I know I set the coordinates right, and yet here you are."

"What do you mean? I thought you were…"when it dawned on her, Pearl could have kicked herself. "You can't travel between universes anymore because of the void, which means that we could only have come here if something in this universe sucked us through the void. When we find it, we go through the hole and this universe rights itself."

"Precisely," the Doctor looked at her admiringly. "You're not half-bad for an ape."

"Oh, ha-ha," Pearl snarked. "What about Blaine?" she asked seriously

The Doctor shrugged. "As long as your primitive, human mission doesn't interfere with mine," he agreed, still happy about finding the crack.

Pearl smiled as the bell rang. Students and teachers poured into the halls.

"I'm going Kabbalah," Kurt told Mercedes as Will passed.

"Hey, how's your project coming along?" Will asked.

"Great," Blaine answered. "We got Artie and the AV Club on board." Somewhere in the back of his mind, the fact that Lauren was president of the audio-visual club was significant, but he couldn't remember why and promptly forgot.

"It'll be Madge-ical," Kurt said cheerfully.

Suddenly, Sue Sylvester was behind the four. "I heard a juicy little rumor that your Up With People rejects were doing some Madonna songs. Is that true?" she asked.

"Of course," Will said obliviously. "I got the idea from you, actually."

Sue snarled, much to Will's surprise. "Now you listen to me. I have been waiting years to pay tribute to Madonna, and I will not have you and your pathetic Glee Club taking part of my idea away from me, do you…wow, I just got distracted by how you can have so much margarine in your hair."

Will's lips turned up into a sneer. "By the way, how's the Florence Henderson look working out for you?" he asked. "Oh, maybe you should try a new setting on your Flowbee. Snap!" he chuckled, walking away. Sue did the same, but with far more violence.

"Who else wants a piece of this, huh?" she yelled after body-checking Pearl hard into a row of lockers. Pearl winced at the sound, making her lilac eye that much more apparent.

Blaine walked over immediately. "I'm sorry," he said, helping her up. "I know my mom did that to you. Dad's usually sober enough to know that he can't hit the face or people will be suspicious."

Pearl shrugged. "It's not your fault, Blaine, and I would do it again."

Kurt and Mercedes walked past them into Sue's office, and Blaine followed them. Pearl followed Blaine. Kurt and Mercedes stopped looking at her once they were about five steps from Sue's office.

"Can we come in?" Kurt asked, timidly knocking.

When Sue nodded, the teenagers sat and Pearl stood just outside the door, looking at the room through the mirror, trying to find anything unusual.

"We've been doing some thinking since you and Mr. Schue had your argument," Mercedes began. "We were kind of worried."

Sue sighed. "You know, kids, I grew up with a handicapable sister. My parents were famous Nazi hunters, so they weren't around a lot." Blaine nodded in sympathy. "I had to bring her up on my own," Mercedes' shoulders slumped, "so I didn't have a lot of time or money to keep up with all the latest looks." Kurt's hand flew to his heart. "But on my sixth birthday, _True Blue_ was released—an album tha would later sell over thirty million copies—and my sister and I took it upon ourselves to bleach my hair with whatever chemicals we could find around the house: ammonia, napalm. My hair was so damaged, I've been forced to wear it short ever since. It's been a daily, ongoing pain. I mercilessly pick on Will Schuester's lustrous, wavy hair because I'm jealous. There, I said it."

"I think we can help," said Kurt. "Mercedes is black; Blaine and I are gay. We make a culture."

"Go on," Sue said.

"We can do a scene rework of 'Vogue' that stars us, of course, you, and your Cheerios," Blaine said excitedly.

"And we can help you find a new look!" Mercedes added.

"Wait," Kurt felt uneasy. "You were six…that would make you, like, thirty."

"Twenty-nine," Sue corrected. Pearl frowned, keeping her eyes on the woman who looked much older as her hand blindly felt for the doorknob, finding it on the right side of the door. She looked down, startled, and saw a door that would open to the left. She backed away a few steps, slowly, and…there! The door flipped, and she gasped in surprise. Something caught her eye, and she saw Emma Pillsbury's door. It wasn't flipped, so she backed up into a row of lockers about three steps from the door.

There wasn't enough space to see the door flip, damn! She would have to talk to the Doctor about that. Pearl didn't know why she wanted to see the doors flip, but it was a craving as strong as the ones she had for chocolate before that time of the month, when she still had a working uterus.

Suddenly, Emma opened her door and walked right past her as if she couldn't see the woman to tell Will that she would be at his apartment at 7:30 that night to do things they would not likely discuss in public. Pearl coughed, but neither Emma nor Will turned their heads. Curious, Pearl decided to turn away from them and start walking out.

She couldn't have taken more than ten steps before Emma asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, but are you supposed to be here?"

Pearl turned to face Emma. "I have as much of a right to be here as you do, I think," she said, trying to see if there was anything about the woman that was different than the man walking away from her. Not seeing anything, she pulled out her phone and started to call the Doctor, but her phone switched to a black-and-white video produced by Kurt, Blaine, and Mercedes. Confused, she looked through the window in the choir room door, only to realize with a start that that door was also the wrong way. She approached slowly, counting her steps.

There! The door reversed. The wheels started to turn in her head, and when they clicked, she ran outside to where Sam was lounging by the TARDIS threshold.

"I need you to take me to Blaine's house," Pearl said, walking in. "I have to see if the doors are reversed in that building."

"Why?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"Because if the doors **are** reversed, then it's not Sue or Emma who are the anomalies," Pearl answered, "it's Blaine."

* * *

><p>"Sit down, Ms. Anderson," Figgins waved Pearl at the chairs.<p>

"You haven't answered my question," Pearl said stiffly.

Figgins hemmed and hawed before sighing and saying, "Blaine Anderson had gone to Sue Sylvester's office several times by accident before coming here to report bullying, but I told him there was nothing I could do; I cannot deal with what I can't see."

"Then may I talk to Ms. Sylvester?" Pearl asked.

Figgins opened his mouth to tell her that of course, she could, but closed them and looked at her curiously. "How do you know her last name?"

There was no need to answer or get permission, however, as Sue came in right then.

"These are the people I think should be taken to Manhattan with $35 in their pockets," Sue said, pulling a piece of paper out of her very pointy bra.

"Er, Sue, what are you wearing?" Figgins asked.

"You like it?" Sue puffed out her chest proudly. "Operation Madonna is now complete," she said proudly, getting ready to leave.

"Your new look is unnecessary, Sue," Figgins said resignedly. "You're a powerful woman; you don't need to copy anyone else! You're an original."

"Just like Madonna," Pearl added quietly.

"Right," Figgins nodded at her and turned back to Sue. "Don't lose that quality."

Sue actually looked vulnerable for a second. "Do you mean that, or are you just saying that because I poked a couple of kids' eyes out before second period today?"

Figgins snorts and waves his hands. Sue grinned and left, Pearl following not far behind.

"Eau de cologne, really, Kurt?" Blaine asked in amusement as Kurt spritzed himself with something. Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable hush that meant Sue Sylvester's terrifying person had silenced all the students nearby. "She's coming!" he hissed.

"I can't wait to see what she's going to wear today!" Mercedes said happily as she joined them.

Sue turned the corner, looking the same as ever, and stole Kurt's perfume.

"Miss Sylvester, what happened?" Mercedes asked sadly.

"Oh, hey there, Whoopi," Sue said cheerily. "Don Knotts," she looked at Kurt's plaid outfit with some level of disgust before turning back to Mercedes. "All those hairstyles and costumes? I'm going to leave constant reinvention to Madonna. This week has made me realize, I don't need to change myself; I need to change everyone around me, starting with you Aretha, Gay Kid, and young Burt Reynolds." She walked away from the shocked kids and toward her office, talking the whole way.

"And that's how I led the Cheerios on their fifth Nationals win," Sue said. Pearl kept her eyes on the doorknob, which flipped during a particularly long blink. Sue kept talking, but her voice had shifted from the tone of someone bragging to another to the inane mutterings of someone speaking to herself. Pearl was confused, and just before she could walk inside, Sue shut the door to her office as if she didn't even see Pearl there.

"Excuse me, Miss Sylvester?" Blaine asked timidly.

"What, hobbit?" Sue asked harshly, opening the door.

"You took Kurt's cologne," Blaine explained politely, "and you almost shut the door in your friend's face," he gestured to Pearl.

"Oh, hello Nicole Kidman," Sue said. "I forgot you were there. Come in," she opened the door wider and the two entered. Blaine sat down as Sue looked around her desk for the cologne, and Pearl gravitated toward the crack on Sue's wall.

"Has this always been here?" she asked.

Sue ignored her, so Blaine cleared his throat and asked for her. "Um, has that crack in the wall always been there?"

"What crack?" Sue asked, not looking up.

"The crack that Pearl is standing next to," Blaine gestured.

Sue turned. "Oh, hello Nicole Kidman," she said. "I forgot you were there. And I don't remember seeing that crack before," she shrugged. "I guess it's just always been there."

Blaine and Pearl looked at each other for a few seconds before reaching a silent agreement. Pearl walked over to Sue's shelf of trophies and, with a sweep of her arm, knocked them all over.

Sue growled in frustration. "I thought that moron made the shelves straight," she muttered. "Get out of my office!" she ordered Blaine, completely forgetting about Pearl yet again.

The moment the doors closed, Pearl turned to face Blaine. "How many times have you gone into Sue's office thinking it was Figgins'?" she asked.

"I don't know," Blaine confessed. "A lot?" he guessed, confused

Pearl nodded, accepting the answer. "And Emma's office?" she asked again.

"A lot more than I'd like to think about," Blaine confessed.

Pearl whirled Blaine around, hands on his shoulders, so he was looking at Sue's door. "What side of the door is the knob on?" she asked.

"The right," he answered, unsure of where the woman was going with this.

Unfortunately, she wasn't forthcoming with answers. "Exactly," she kept her hands on his shoulders and moved him back a few steps, a bit past where they both blinked and saw the door flip. "Now what side is the doorknob on?" she asked after hearing Blaine gasp.

"The left," he said, shrugging her off. Pearl simply put her hands back on his shoulders.

"We're not done yet," she said, directing him to Emma's office.

"This one's on the right," Blaine said, anticipating the question.

"And that's not all," Pearl added darkly.

Next to them Jesse St. James held a packet of papers Pearl had given him. "Can I talk to you about something?" he asked Emma after walking right past Pearl as if she didn't exist, but waved and smiled at Blaine.

"Stay quiet," Pearl told Blaine, walking forward and opening the door. Just like in Sue's office, there was a crack in the wall directly across from the door.

Emma and Jesse ignored her, so Pearl deliberately knocked over Emma's rotating display of pamphlets, sending it crashing the ground quite loudly. Emma and Jesse then started to clean up the display, neither of them looking at the other woman helping them. In fact, they seemed to act like they were alone together until Blaine stepped inside.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you, dear," Emma said.

"I can't have Pearl doing all the work," Blaine pointed to the young woman, noticing that their eyes seemed to naturally avoid the crack in the wall.

Emma blinked in owlish surprise when she saw Pearl. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there," she apologized politely.

* * *

><p>"What the hell?" Finn jumped up, yelling. "It seems like now everybody's doing things <strong>just<strong> to hurt my feelings!"

"We were **already** fighting for second leads," Kurt sighed in exasperation, clearly sharing Finn's view "and now that **you've** shown up, I've lost **all hope** at ever getting a solo!"

"And you all just trot me out at the end of every number so I can wail on the last note," Mercedes added with disdain. "How is **that** okay?"

"He's a **spy**, Mr. Schue," Santana spat. "I would know!"

"Okay, everyone, just calm down," Will said, motioning for them to sit with his hands. "I've spoken to Jesse's parents, and it's very legitimate. While his parents are in Bali this winter, Jesse moved in with his uncle, who lives in the McKinley district, forcing Jesse to transfer from Carmel High and become the newest member of New Directions."

"But this isn't **fair**!" Artie cried.

"Guys, everyone who has ever auditioned for this group has gotten in!" Will yelled above his students. "That's how we do things here, okay? To suddenly change the rules now?" he added, "**That** would be unfair."

Brittany suddenly raised her hand to ask, "Mr. Schue, is he your son?"

"I don't understand why you're doing this," Rachel frowned at Jesse.

As Jesse gave a speech about how love was more important than another National title, Pearl led Blaine to the other end of the hall from the choir room. "See the door?" she asked.

"Do all the doors do this?" Blaine asked. "Flip?"

"No," Pearl said. "I was in Figgins' office earlier. His door opened to the right and he could see me all the way up to his office. Blaine, the only doors that are flipping are the doors that **you** go through."

Blaine looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Go to Santana's house, or Kurt's house, and pay attention to their doors. Then look at the doors in your house," Pearl said. "Probably, Kurt's door will flip too, but he won't forget about you."

"Why not?" Blaine asked as they walked. Pearl didn't answer, but sure enough, the door flipped and he entered just as Will welcomed Jesse into New Directions.

"Hey, Blaine," everyone but Jesse greeted.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," only Mike said. Everyone else seemed taken aback at the woman's presence, but Pearl didn't notice, focusing instead on the crack that seemed to span the length of the wall.

"Come on," Kurt said, getting up and taking Blaine's arm. He waved at Pearl as the couple left, but Mercedes didn't acknowledge the woman's presence.

When Pearl deliberately kicked the back of Finn's knees and the boy collapsed, Mike glared at her as everyone else fussed over Finn's clumsiness. Tina simply gave the woman a cursory glance. Pearl decided to leave.

* * *

><p>Exactly 4 minutes later, Pearl was being given angry looks when she stood in a gym that had no cracks while Kurt and Mercedes sang and strutted their stuff in front of a band that Blaine was directing.<p>

"What the hell is going on?" Will demanded, walking up to Sue.

"Let me fill you in," Sue replied snidely. "Future Center Square Kurt Hummel there and his brassy hag Mercedes just tore that Madonna song a new one." Will looked at her oddly. "I've decided to add vocals to my already wildly overproduced Cheerios numbers, since your precious Glee kids have decided to join me in time for Nationals," she said smugly, smiling at the woman who hoisted Blaine onto her shoulders so the tall band members could actually see him.

When the song was over, Will stormed over to Kurt and Mercedes. "You guys could have told me before you quit," he said in a disappointed tone.

"We love being in Glee," Blaine was quick to be placating.

"But being in the Cheerios will give us more opportunities to shine," Mercedes explained.

"So we're doing both," Kurt added before leaving.

Sue's hand landed on Will's slumped shoulder. "Chipper up, Will. I was just down at the pharmacy today, and they're having a monster sale on Dep. Dep is a hair gel, and once again, I am making fun of your **incredibly** stupid hairdo."

Outside in the hall, Tina and Mike were pushing a misogynistic Artie when she suddenly exploded, raging, "My **eyes** are up **here**!" she stood in front of the boy. "I am a **person**, with **feelings**! Get out of my grille! I am a **powerful** woman and my feminism will cut you in half like a RIGHTEOUS BLADE OF EQUALITY!" she yelled, complete with vehement hand gestures, before she left.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Kurt smiled nervously when he caught up with Blaine. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for ignoring you this week, and because you didn't get to sing during '4 Minutes.'"<p>

Blaine shrugged. "It's okay. The song was meant to be a duet, and besides, we were both pretty busy," he thought of the doors again.

Kurt took his hand. "Come on," he said, "there's a song everyone's going to sing together."

Finn spoke first. "Girls can wear jeans, and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots, 'cause it's okay to be a boy."

Artie spoke next, looking directly at Tina as he did. "But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, 'cause you think that being a girl is degrading.

"But secretly," Puck started, "you'd love to know what it's like, wouldn't you? What it feels like for a girl."

Finn sang first.

_Silky smooth, lips as sweet as candy. Baby, tight blue jeans, skin that shows in patches.  
><em>_Strong inside, but you don't know it. Good little girls, they never show it._

Artie sang the next line before the rest of the guys joined him for the chorus.

_ When you open up your mouth to speak, could you be a little weak?  
><em>_Do you know, what it feels like for a girl? Do you know, what it feels like it in this world, for a girl?_

Blaine sang the next verse, keeping his eyes trained only four people in the room could see.

_Hair that twirls on fingertips so gently. Baby, hands that rest on jutting hips repenting.  
>Hurt that's not supposed to show, and tears that fall when no one knows.<em>

Artie sang the next line, and the boys joined him after for the chorus.

_When you're trying hard to be your best, could you be a little less?  
><em>_Do you know what it feels like for a girl?  
><em>_Do you know what it feels like in this world? What it feels like for a girl?_

This time, Puck sang the next verse by himself, until the rest of the boys joined him for the final chorus.

_Strong inside, but you don't know it. Good little girls, they never show it.  
>When you open up your mouth to speak, could you be a little weak?<br>__Do you know what it feels like for a girl? Do you know what it feels like in this world, for a girl?  
><em>_In this world, do you know, do you know?  
><em>_do you know what it feels like for a girl? What it feels like in this world?_

Later that day, when Blaine drove past the houses on his block, he noticed that all but his opened to the right.

* * *

><p><em>Next time, the cracks start getting bigger, but Sam finds a way to shrink them, to a certain extent.<em>


	22. Invisible

_So here's what you missed on Glee: Pearl's sister, Callie, was in a horrific car accident, but her body wasn't recovered until Pearl accidentally opened up an alternate universe run by Callie's violent ex-boyfriend, Jack Cale, who was pissed that Pearl and her parents tried to break them up. Pearl managed to get Callie back into the other universe and sealed off the alternate one, but Jack still wants Callie back. And that's what you missed on Glee!_

_(Okay, that's all the background you need, I think. And_ after this, I'm not going to follow episodes as closely as I've been trying to do, because that's just not going to work as well as I thought it would. And what I said about Sam at the end of last chapter? I lied, again.)__

__Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Invisible" by Taylor Swift.__

* * *

><p>Chapter XXII: Invisible<p>

Blaine blinked as he looked at his own door from across the hall. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it at first, but once he was about five feet away, he would blink and the doorknob would switch sides. He sighed and opened the door, facing the crack that ran down almost the entire side of his door. It looked like an ordinary crack, but as he got closer, there seemed to be noises coming from it. He put his ear as close as he dared to, without actually touching it, and it seemed to lead directly into Sue Sylvester's office.

"I thought your tracksuits were a subtle homage to yours truly, but now I fear it's some sort of ironic comment," Sue's voice was clear.

"Look, I don't feel comfortable in those short cheerleading skirts," Mercedes replied. "I'm afraid of showing too much skin and starting a sex riot."

"I don't give a damn about your feelings, Aretha," Sue said, making Blaine glad he had quit the Cheerios the moment he decided to start researching doors and paranormal phenomena. "_Splits_ magazine, after much campaigning by one Sue Sylvester, has named me cheerleading coach of the last 2,000 years. Tracy Pendergrass is coming to the school to write my profile for a week, and if you don't lose ten pounds and start wearing a skirt by then, I'm kicking you off the Cheerios."

Blaine heard Kurt's protest, but Sue cut him out. "You could stand to lose a few pounds yourself, Porcelain. You've got hips like a pear and abs that aren't nearly as hard as your namesake. From now on, I will call you by the fruit I just compared you to, which would make more sense given your sexual orientation and choice in hair product scent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to put in a call to the Ohio Secretary of State notifying them I will no longer be carrying photo ID. You know why?"

Blaine could almost picture Kurt and Mercedes shaking their heads before Sue said, "People should know who I am."

He stifled a laugh and moved away from the crack. It was bedtime.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, we can't practice in the auditorium?" Rachel demanded. "We have to practice for Regionals!"<p>

"I'm sorry, but Sue has the auditorium booked," Will said apologetically.

"We can organize a sit-in," Rachel faced the rest of the group.

"We could just burn it," Puck said.

"No, Puck," Will's tone was so serious that Kurt, Blaine, Mike, and Tina turned from the woman making rude hand gestures at Will from the back of the room turn to face him. "There's got to be somewhere else we can practice. I promise, I'll find us a new home."

When the bell rang and everyone started to prepare to leave, Kurt pulled Finn aside for a talk on home decor, much to Blaine's amusement.

"I want to make it look like, 'hunting lodge meets Tom Ford's place in Bel Air,'" Kurt said, showing off his room designs on a board. "I expect you to have excellent ideas on the hunting lodge part. What does your room look like?"

"Um, there's cowboy wall paper on the walls," Finn said. Seeing that Kurt looked like he was going to throw up, he hurriedly pointed at something on Kurt's board and said, "This looks pretty nice."

"Toile?" Kurt looked pleasantly surprised. "I always pegged you for a chinoiserie type."

Finn laughed nervously and walked away, giving Kurt a distinctly red tinge to his face, which disappeared before Blaine walked up to him.

"Hey, Kurt, I have to go write a paper on Victorian England's public education system," he lied. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Kurt nodded, continuing to look after Finn, hearing a faint crunching sound but not seeing the crack in the wall get bigger as he started at Finn's backside.

* * *

><p>Pearl and Brittany were speaking to each other while Santana studiously ignored Brittany's imaginary friend. It seemed that the cracks were spreading, and Pearl was becoming more invisible.<p>

"Are you really going to eat that?" Kurt glared at Mercedes' tray as if it was offending him.

"Hey, there's nothing unhealthy about a chicken breast and salad, even if I get it with dressing," Mercedes retorted.

"Healthy meals aren't how you lose ten pounds in a week," Kurt said.

"But you shouldn't lose more than ten pounds in a week," Pearl said angrily. "Anything more than one or two in a week is unhealthy and most likely water weight that will quickly return."

"Who asked you?" Kurt snapped.

"Um, Kurt, who are you talking to?" Mercedes asked.

Kurt turned toward Pearl with a look of confusion that quickly turned into one of shock as she not only shimmered in and out of his view, but out of his memories.

"Oh, hey Pearl," Blaine waved at her as he grabbed a tray.

The woman became solid again and Mercedes saw her. "Oh, hi," she said before giving Kurt a very strange look. "You could've just pointed her out to me, you know," she said accusingly before walking over to Santana and Brittany. Brittany waved at Pearl, but once Santana slapped her hand, Brittany asked why she couldn't wave at invisible aliens.

"How do you guys stay so skinny?" Mercedes asked, not looking at Pearl at all.

Neither did Santana or Brittany, as they raised their water bottles in the air. "The Sue Sylvester Master Cleanse," Santana explained. "Water, maple syrup for glucose, lemon for acid, paprika to irritate the bowels, and a dash of ipecac, a vomiting agent," she listed the ingredients.

"I haven't had a solid meal since 1987," Brittany said. "Sometimes, I add a teaspoon of sand."

"That doesn't sound healthy," Mercedes and Pearl said at the same time.

Santana only turned to one of the females. "Look, when you're on the Cheerios, you can either look good and feel bad or get kicked off the team."

Mercedes sighed and dumped her tray's contents in the trash, reaching for the bottle Santana held out. Kurt and Blaine were the only ones who saw Pearl catch the salad and dig in before heading out to Brittany's house.

* * *

><p>"What! Are you sure?" whatever the Doctor was hearing from the other line, it was pretty shocking. "Okay, I'll check it out," he said distractedly.<p>

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"Pearl thinks Brittany lives on a rift," said the Doctor.

"Like Blaine?" this got Sam's attention.

"No, the heart of the TARDIS opened a rift under Blaine." The Doctor turned pale.

"What's wrong?" Sam's heart sped up.

"We've been assuming that the rift opened was under Blaine's house, and it affected him, but what if Blaine **is** a rift?" the Doctor asked excitedly.

"Is that even possible?" Sam asked, sitting up.

"For a person to be a rift?" the Doctor shrugged. "I don't know how powerful the Time Vortex is—no one does—but it's entirely possible."

Sam let out a long breath. "Wow," he said for lack of anything else to say. "What should we do if…you know, if it's true?"

"It's a long story. Very complicated process," the Doctor said, tweaking with the console.

Sam shrugged. "I have time."

* * *

><p>"I lost two pounds, Coach," Becky bragged.<p>

"Well, Becky, you are assimilating beautifully. Instead of being different and an outcast, you're just like every other teenage girl in America, sadly obsessed with vanity," Sue said proudly. "Hey, before you know it, you'll be leaving little baggies of upchuck in your parents' linen closet."

Up next was Mercedes, whom Sue noted with a frown was still wearing her tracksuit…and gained two pounds, according to the scale. Sue pulled Mercedes to the side.

"You have four days to lose that weight," she pointed to the scale, "and get into a skirt."

"What do I do?" Mercedes asked resignedly.

Sue snorted. "The only thing a Cheerio needs to know is that you do whatever it takes."

After the weigh-in, Kurt walked alone with Finn, much to Blaine's chagrin. The never-a-Warbler hadn't been waiting outside the office playing with the door switches for no reason.

"Face it, Finn; when midterms roll around, we're going to be roommates. Why do you think I asked you about decorations?"

Finn rounded up to Kurt, forcing the baby-faced boy to look up. "Look, there's no way I'm moving, okay? And there's no way I'm letting Mom sell that chair!"

Kurt looked confused as Finn ran away, but not as confused as he did when he turned to find Blaine with an angry expression.

"What are you doing?" Blaine demanded.

"I'm talking to my future stepbrother," Kurt replied.

"But that look on your face," Blaine was jealous. He and Kurt were the same height now, and while he knew that his short stature had never factored into their relationship, he couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous. "You don't think of him as just a stepbrother."

Kurt sighed. "Blaine, you're being stupid?"

"Am I?" Blaine knew Kurt was right, but the stress of the last few days had sapped away all his patience and he lashed out at the nearest available person.

"Yes, you are!" Kurt yelled. "Go away, Blaine, and don't talk to me again until you're ready to be civil to me for once."

Blaine looked at him incredulously. "Are you breaking up with me?" he asked.

Kurt shot him a dirty look before leaving the room. Apparently, the answer was yes.

* * *

><p>"So, what's in this universe that doesn't belong?" the Doctor asked, rummaging around Brittany's room. "Other than us, of course," he said, nodding to Pearl and Sam.<p>

"I don't know we could find that would be useful," Pearl muttered. "I've only found three diaries and about a hundred boxes of cat care products."

"My cat reads my diary," Brittany said offhandedly.

"Which one?" Sam asked, more in jest than any reason.

"This one," Brittany took out a notebook with a picture of Cinderella on its fuzzy cover. "He always flips to a particular page."

"Oh?" the Doctor took the book she offered and flipped through to the aforementioned page. He did a double-take. "Brittany, this isn't your handwriting."

Brittany shrugged, but Sam and Pearl walked over to read the page.

_I received your plea for help, Brittany, and I must say, it's really brightened up my day. After Callie left, I didn't think anybody would ever mention that spoiled girl's name again. But it seems you've stumbled upon the fact that I created this universe, and I can destroy it, or suck as much of the other universe in here as I want in an effort to get to that selfish little girl. Of course, I could also give you the computer code necessary to deactivate the rather powerful vacuum I created in the void, but given how much pain little Pearly has caused me in the past, I simply cannot pass up my chance for revenge. Besides, the code is buried underneath a mountain of cleaning products, and I simply do not have the patience to search for it. Don't worry; I don't have the entire code within my possession; the person who agreed to build the computer spirited it away. What a cool customer! i only know enough to create the vacuum, not destroy this entire universe. Sleep well and goodbye!_

"Brittany, what is this a response to?" Pearl asked

"Um, I think I asked why my chi balls were moving," Brittany answered, pointing to the two silvery objects floating next to Pearl's head. She shrieked and ducked before realizing that they only rotated around each other, and didn't seem actively trying to hurt anyone.

The Doctor laughed. "Chi balls pick up on the energy of their environment," he said. "The rift can kick up quite a bit of it."

Sam ignored him in favor of admiring the two balls.

"I thought you were straight," the Doctor looked confused.

"In this universe, maybe," Sam said. "I'm bisexual."

"But the television show-"

"Those in favor of abandoning the discussion on apparent sexuality to go to Emma's office, raise your hand" Pearl raised hers in exasperation.

The Doctor and Sam sighed and followed her into the TARDIS.

* * *

><p>"No way I'm going to a roller rink," Puck said firmly.<p>

"Weren't those outlawed in, like, 1981 for being totally lame?" Santana crossed her arms.

"Guys, we need to use what we have," said Will. "April's letting us use that space for free, and we should be grateful for that. Now, Kurt, I believe you have something to say?"

"Yes," Kurt said, moving to the middle of the floor. "The New Directions is clearly a club with a dearth of direction. Rachel and Jesse refuse to accept that all of us would rather die before we allow them to become the next Beyonce and Jay-Z, and Finn's mother's romance with my father is sending him into a wholly unnecessary tailspin of despair," he pointedly refused to look at Blaine as he spoke. "What we all need right now is to explore the idea of a sense of place, and how if we find that place within, we will all get that happy ending," he grabbed a pile of sheet music and helped Will pass it out.

While Kurt sang "A House is Not a Home," the wheels in Blaine's head turned as he thought of a much better song to sum up this week.

That day after school, Blaine came to Kurt's house. "Kurt, I know I haven't been the best boyfriend lately, and you deserve a much more attentive one, but I hope you know that the way you're going about this is all wrong," he said, the Glee girls standing behind him, and strumming his guitar before starting to sing. Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany were wearing their Cheerio outfits.

_He can't see the way your eyes light up when you smile.  
>He'll never notice how you stop and stare whenever he walks by.<br>And you can't see me wanting you the way you want him, but you are everything to me._

Behind him, Tina, Rachel, and Mercedes hummed a harmony to the chorus.

_I just want to show you, he don't even know you. He's never going to love you like I want to.  
>And you just see right through me, but if you only knew me, we could be a beautiful miracle.<br>Unbelievable, instead of just invisible._

Blaine returned to singing by himself, and resumed playing his guitar.

_There's a fire inside of you that can't help but shine through.  
>He's never going to see the light, no matter what you do.<br>And all I think about is how to make you think of me and everything that we could be._

Blaine and Kurt's female friends sang the chorus again, but this time they were joined by his Cheerio friends as well before leaping into the bridge.

_Like shadows in a faded light, oh we're invisible. I just want to open your eyes and make you realize._

Everyone else's voices faded away and Blaine sounded almost shy.

_I just want to show you, he don't even know you. Baby, let me love you, let me want you.  
>You just see right through me, but if you only knew me, we could be a beautiful miracle.<br>Unbelievable, instead of just invisible._

Finally, Blaine stopped strumming his guitar and faced Kurt.

_He can't see the way your eyes light up when you smile._

But Kurt, with the strangest mixture of sadness and anger in his expression, closed the door in Blaine's face. As the girls ran forward to comfort and console the curly-haired tenor, Blaine noticed with some trepidation that Kurt's front door was flipped as well.

* * *

><p><em>Oh no! Kurt and Blaine have broken up! And the story in the beginning was going to be revealed piece by piece, but my friend Cassy (who read over this chapter for me) said that it would be too confusing if I did it that way, so I did it her way.<em>

_Next time, we get to one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs ever! And Emma's office is raided. Also, please take note that from now on, the episodes will only be mentioned in passing. I wanted to pay special attention to this one because I met Cassy at a clinic for eating disorders, so Mercedes' storyline is very important to me._

_Read and review!_


	23. A Perfectly Good Heart

_Hey, guys, I just wanted to let you all know, even those of you who don't want me to know you're reading this, that I'm back at college now, so you won't be getting updates quite as often. Sorry, but I have priorities. Also, as soon as I'm done uploading this chapter, I'm switching the category of this story from_ Glee_ to a crossover of_ Glee_ with_ Doctor Who,_ which means it won't show up on either one's main page as being updated, but it will show up in the crossover section of both. This is because the_ Doctor Who_ portion has taken over the story in a way I didn't expect, so he will be playing a much bigger part as the story goes one._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "A Perfectly Good Heart" by Taylor Swift. I also don't own the Raxacoricofallapatorian alien species seen in the _Doctor Who_ episodes "Aliens of London," "World War Three," and "Boom Town" in season one of the revived serial._

* * *

><p>Chapter XXIII: A Perfectly Good Heart<p>

"Are you Emma Pillsbury? Fantastic—I came to talk to you. I have a sixteen-year-old son named Sam Evans, and I'd like to enroll him here. Can you walk me carefully through the paperwork?"

* * *

><p>Breadsticks found the Hummel and the Hudson families dining together, widow and widower on one side, half-orphans on the other. Only three of them were excited.<p>

"This is like the first meeting between the Bouviers and the Kennedys," Kurt said, raising a toast.

"Wait, when did Selma marry someone named Kennedy?" Finn asked.

Burt and Carole looked at each other worriedly.

"Well, our little family is coming together quite well, huh?" Kurt asked desperately.

Finn mumbled something about them not being a family, and Burt reached out by mentioning sports. About three words into the conversation, Kurt's smile turned into a grimace of jealousy, making it easy for Pearl to draw him into a conversation.

"I bet you regret breaking up with my son now, huh?" she asked quietly and casually, raising the menu to cover her face, either not realizing or not caring that it was upside-down.

"He broke up with-" Kurt started to say "me," but his head slumped when he remembered that it wasn't true and that he had been the instigator.

"If I were you," Pearl began, "I'd start thinking of a song. The writing's on the wall, Kurt. The writing's on the wall."

"Ma'am, are you ready to order?" the waiter asked.

"Can I have cheese twists and a Coke to go?" she asked politely, suppressing a smirk when Kurt groaned. "It looks like my date isn't coming after all." Blaine was going to have his favorite order delivered to him tonight.

"Of course, dear," the waiter smiled kindly. "On the house," he winked flirtatiously.

It wasn't until she realized she had left her phone on silent that she checked the messages asking whether or not she was still distracting Emma while her house was being thoroughly searched.

The last one was less than a minute ago. Pearl had left Emma an hour ago.

* * *

><p>"Have you found anything yet?" the Doctor asked.<p>

"Yes," Sam deadpanned, "about a zillion bottles of rubbing alcohol."

"Let me rephrase: have you found anything **useful** yet?"

"Hey, rubbing alcohol can be useful. Ever gotten cut by a BB gun pellet?"

The Doctor growled something about throwing Sam to the Raxacoricofallapatorians and Sam let out a loud laugh, which died out once he saw his zillion-and-first bottle of rubbing alcohol.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked excitedly, crouching down.

"There's something floating in this," Sam said, opening the bottle and reaching two fingers in to pull it out. "It's not paper, but I don't know what it is."

"It's muslin," the Doctor answered. Sam raised an eyebrow. "What?" the Doctor asked peevishly. "Knowing my fabrics doesn't make me gay, it just makes me a friend of 'your' mother's. Kissing Jack Harkness, on the other hand," a smile crept across the Doctor's face, "now **that's** gay!"

Sam chuckled as he unrolled the muslin and seemed to deflate when he saw what was written on it. "It's just a bunch of numbers," he muttered in disappointment.

"Well, the numbers must mean something, right?" the Doctor punched Sam's shoulder playfully, trying to cheer the boy up. "Eight plus five…that would be thirteen, correct?"

"Unlucky," Sam noted.

The Doctor snorted. "You humans, with your ridiculous superstitions. Eight and five being next to each other isn't going to cause bad luck!"

Just then, the door opened and Emma's humming could be heard. The Doctor paled and both guys stood still until Emma walked in and screamed.

"Never mind," the Doctor muttered. "I can see what you were talking about now."

* * *

><p>There were so many tears in Kurt's eyes that he could barely see the paint chips he was peeling off the walls, or his father coming down stairs.<p>

"So, have you picked one yet?" Burt asked.

"They're all wrong," Kurt hated how close he sounded to crying as he struggled with a particularly stubborn piece of sample paint.

"They all look like different shades of grey to me," Burt quipped.

With strength born of anger, Kurt ripped it off the wall, along with a head-sized part of the paint already on the wall, before turning to glare at his father. "Well, maybe if they were different color sports uniforms, you'd work harder to try to tell them apart!"

"Hey, hey, what's this all about?" Burt asked calmly.

"As soon as you get to raise the athlete you've obviously always wanted, you just ignore me!" Kurt ranted.

"Now, Kurt, you know that's not true, and what the hell is **that**?" Burt pointed at the wall.

Kurt turned around and his jaw dropped.

* * *

><p>"Why are you in my closet?" Emma demanded.<p>

"We were looking for this," Sam replied meekly, holding up the bottle of rubbing alcohol. "It had this in it," he showed her the muslin.

"Oh," a very strange expression took over Emma's face. "I don't know how I forgot I had that," she said. "It was so terrifying at the time."

The Doctor crossed the room in two steps. "How did you acquire the fabric?" he asked.

"A man gave it to me," Emma confessed. "I think his name was…um, Jack."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Jack? Are you sure?"

"Why? Who's Jack?" Sam asked immediately.

The Doctor waved a hand to shush Sam. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Long black hair that curled up at the ears? Yes," Emma said.

The Doctor cursed and ran out of the room to the TARDIS. Sam looked like he was going to follow, but turned to Emma instead.

"You're not going to arrest us, are you?" he asked nervously. "We were just trying to find this," he held up the fabric.

Emma shook her head. "I'm feeling so many different feelings right now, fear isn't one of them." She blinked in surprise. "I've never said that before," she admitted.

Sam smiled and left, not realizing that, in mere seconds, the crack in the wall behind him and the Doctor would erase her memories again, leaving her just as terrified as before.

* * *

><p>"Is that all you're eating?" Tina nodded to Mercedes' plate, which held the feast of a tiny tomato slice, a leaf of lettuce, and two small lumps of cottage cheese. "Here," she held out half her chocolate.<p>

"No, thanks," Mercedes dismissed.

"Mercedes, why are you starving yourself?" Artie asked. "You know we'll like you no matter how you look, right?"

"Look, just because you guys don't want to sacrifice to fit in at this buffet of a school doesn't mean I won't!" Mercedes snapped. Then she blinked in alarm and added, "And I'm really hungry, so stop trying to get me to eat you."

Rachel and Jesse walked by, and Mercedes' jaw dropped wide enough to let out a river of drool before passing out.

Tina and Artie ran/wheeled to her prone body. "Hold up," Artie paused. "Did she just say she wanted to eat us?"

* * *

><p>"Who the hell put that on the wall?" Burt demanded.<p>

Kurt shook his head in ignorance and reached toward the letters. "She won't cheer her way out of this one," he recited.

"What does that mean?" Burt asked.

"I have no clue."

* * *

><p>"No wonder you fainted," Gordana frowned worriedly. She took off her stethoscope and smiled kindly at Mercedes. "Sit tight; I'm going to get some ginger ale." She moved, and now Blaine, who was holding a bag of ice, and Mercedes could see each other.<p>

"Why are you doing here?" Mercedes asked.

Blaine lowered the bag of ice, and Mercedes could see the nasty cut above his eye. "The jocks think I'm trash, what a surprise!" he smiled bitterly. "What about you?" he asked, his voice softening.

"The nurse says I have low blood pressure," Mercedes shrugged.

"Here," Blaine reached into his backpack and pulled out a granola bar. "This will help raise it."

Mercedes shook her head and pushed it away.

Something tugged on the back of Blaine's head, something about Kurt having been worried. When it came to him, he slipped out of the nurse's office without a word. He came back with a concerned-looking Quinn in tow. Mercedes groaned when Quinn inspected her.

"Sure you don't want the granola bar?" Blaine asked again, holding it out.

Mercedes refused it again. "I'm not hungry," she lied.

Quinn suddenly looked very angry. "Are you kidding?" she fisted her hands. "I am the Queen of Liars, Mercedes," she said, "and I can tell when someone's bullshitting me, **especially** when it comes to starving yourself to look good."

"What are you talking about?" Mercedes looked at Quinn's figure. "You look great."

"That's because I've started eating great," Quinn rubbed her stomach, then her aching back. "Once I realized I was pregnant, I started eating substance food, food with nutrients my baby needs, and when I realized that I was willing to do that for her, why shouldn't I do it for myself?"

Mercedes started to nod and ended up crying. Blaine and Quinn took her into their arms and held her until she calmed.

* * *

><p>"That sounds spooky," Blaine admitted. "I don't know what I would do if there was writing on my wall," he told Kurt. His parents believed that Kurt was there to work on a Chemistry project, and Kurt had dressed down sufficiently to convince them.<p>

"Blaine," Kurt's voice was small, "are we still friends?" he asked.

"Of course," Blaine spat out his lie.

Kurt, however, didn't pick up on this and looked relieved. "Good," he sighed. "I need to tell you about this thing on my wall."

"A crack?" Blaine's ears perked up.

"Um," Kurt looked at the photo. "Oh, yes, a crack," he sounded odd. "I don't know why I didn't see that right away."

Blaine looked at the photo of the words on Kurt's wall. "The crack is underlining the word 'out,' and 'out' is written in yellow while the rest of the words are written in black," he noticed. "I wonder what that means."

Kurt shrugged. "Hair color?"

"For whom?" Blaine wondered aloud.

"Oh," Kurt perked up, "here comes Finn. I have to talk to him."

"Oh," Blaine's shoulders slumped a little, but he nodded and Kurt left.

"Finn," Kurt pulled the jock toward himself, "we need to talk."

"Look, if I had known you'd be so upset, I wouldn't have talked about sports, I promise," Finn said, holding his hands up as if he were afraid Kurt was going to hurt him.

"It's not that," Kurt admitted. "I just want you to help me break up your mom and my dad."

"Oh, okay," Finn sounded relieved. "I'm glad you feel that way too. I just don't feel comfortable with this; it feels like my mom is leaving my dad."

* * *

><p>It wasn't until Sam had collapsed and Pearl tasted the strange chemical in the air that the trio sought relief, by which time the only seats left was beside the blonde cheerleading captain and the man interviewing her. They sat down in time to hear Sue's response to Tracy's pleasant surprise that so many people watched her pep rallies; "On assembly days, I arrange for the rest of the school to be fumigated, leaving the gymnasium as the only place with breathable air."<p>

The Doctor turned away, stuck his fingers in his ears, and began to hum. Tracy and Sue looked at him oddly, and Pearl pretended not to notice.

Then Mercedes came out in a tracksuit, and she really stopped noticing.

"Everyone thinks that being a Cheerio is about winning," she began, "but it's not. Raise your hand if you've ever thought you were fat," a few hands went up after a pause, "or ugly," a few more hands with less hesitation, "or pimply," a few more hands shot up immediately, "or stupid," there were now considerably more hands up than not, "or like a loser." Every single person's hands were in the air. "I feel like that a lot sometimes, and if joining the Cheerios has won me anything, it's the ability to recognize the good in myself, instead of just the bad."

With a nod toward the band that Pearl realized** was always there**, she began to sing.

_Why would you want to break a perfectly good heart?  
>Why would you want to take our love and tear it all apart, now?<br>Why would you want to make the very first scar?  
>Why would you want to break a perfectly good heart?<em>

Then the band stopped playing, and it was just Mercedes (and the rest of the Cheerios humming behind her) singing.

_Maybe I should've seen the signs, should've read the writing on the wall.  
>And realized, by the distance in your eyes, that I would be the one to fall.<br>No matter what you say, I still can't believe that you would walk away. It don't make sense to me._

Unexpectedly, a noticeably pregnant Quinn started to sing beside her.

_Why would you want to break a perfectly good heart?  
>Why would you want to take our love and tear it all apart, now?<br>Why would you want to make the very first scar?  
>Why would you want to break a perfectly good heart?<em>

Mercedes sang one line alone, and her voice seemed to transform seamlessly into Quinn's.

_It's not unbroken anymore. How do I get it back the way it was before?_

Then Quinn sang by herself.

_Why would you want to break a perfectly good heart?  
>Why would you want to take our love and tear it all apart, now?<br>Why would you want to make the very first scar?  
>Why would you want to break? Why would you want to break it?<em>

Then Mercedes and Quinn sang together, and the rest of the auditorium seemed to sing with her.

_Why would you want to break a perfectly good heart?  
>Why would you want to take our love and tear it all apart, now?<br>Why would you want to make the very first scar?  
>Why would you want to break a perfectly good heart?<em>

Pearl grinned at Sue's terrified face when Tracy Pendergrass said he would finish the interview the next day in her office. When she turned back to the stage, Kurt walked up to Mercedes.

"Thank you," he said. "I was wrong."

He was so busy apologizing that he didn't see the auditorium lights glinting off of Brittany's yellow hair and Santana's black ponytail until the two girls had already walked toward the parking lot and started driving to Brittany's considerably cracked house, where she had been living alone for quite some time, seemingly without her parents.

* * *

><p><em>Kudos to all who caught the "The Big Bang" reference at the very end (Season 5 finale of the revival)! -hands you internet cookies-<em>

_Next time, Sam plays with what appears to be invisibility and discovers the consequences, the glee club develops a bad reputation, and Kurt and Blaine, sadly, still don't make up._


	24. You Belong With Me

_Sorry for the delay, folks, but I had a lot of stuff that I needed to get done for school. Anyway, here's chapter 24!_

_Thanks to my wonderful beta, OhMyGlee54, for being pretty much the only person who's still reading this._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "You Belong With Me," by Taylor Swift or the episode "The Pandorica Opens." I will, however, be playing Amy Pond in a play! (Amy Pond with a Texan accent, this should be interesting.)_

* * *

><p>Chapter XXIV: You Belong With Me<p>

"What are we supposed to be getting out of this?" Sam asked.

"Well, you are going to sit in that corner and rest until you stop throwing up every five minutes," the Doctor began, but was cut off by an angry retort.

"Hey, I was only sick because Sue sprayed stuff all over the school!" he glared weakly. "Hey, why aren't you guys sick?" he asked.

The Doctor and Pearl looked at each other. "Well, I'm an alien," said the Doctor.

"And I'm part-vampire," Pearl shrugged. "I don't need to breathe as much as you guys do, and I can filter air on my own."

"How do you do that?" Sam asked.

The Doctor and Pearl snickered. "It's a long story," Pearl said finally, still laughing.

Sam put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. "She's coming!" he whispered.

"Don't worry," Pearl nodded to the crack on the wall of Sue Sylvester's office. "She won't see us."

"What in God's name happened to my office?" Sue demanded, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany trailing in after her.

Sam's jaw dropped when Brittany waved at the three of them, but the other three females remained oblivious. Quinn shot Brittany a dirty look, and Santana glared back at her.

"I can't believe you couldn't find Sue's address!" the Doctor hissed once he realized he wasn't going to be kicked out of the room. "Isn't it supposed to be on school records?"

"Figgins' office doesn't have that crack," Pearl hissed back.

"Is there a gas leak?" Santana asked suddenly. "I hear hissing."

"Those are the snakes in your hair," Quinn retorted.

"Girls!" Sue started to yell at them.

"Hey, look at this," Pearl said, holding up a piece of cloth.

"Does that have writing on it?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," Pearl grinned. "I think I'll leave this cabinet unlocked," she said, unwrapping it to reveal a floppy disk.

* * *

><p>"Okay, that was a complete waste of time," the Doctor said.<p>

"You know, we could all just hide here and wait until Sue leaves, and use Bessie to follow her home," Pearl said thoughtfully.

The Doctor looked stricken. "Why didn't I think of that?" he muttered.

"This is why you have human companions," Sam retorted. "And can you guys drop me off in the music room? I want to test this invisibility thing."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Blaine was desperately trying to ignore the sounds of his mother imbibing alcohol through the crack behind him. Luckily, the amusing video Kurt had found was entertaining enough to send Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, Tina, and himself into stitches from laughing.<p>

"You guys aren't watching the video of me falling off stage at my first Tiny Tots beauty pageant, are you?" Rachel demanded as she, Jesse, and Finn walked in.

"That was Carrot Top funny compared to this comedic tour de force," Kurt smiled, flipping around the laptop so she could see Sue dancing to "Physical."

"I like this," Jesse remarked off-handedly. "It was pretty groundbreaking subject matter at the time, considering its depiction of fluid sexuality."

"And just so everyone's aware, I certainly did not steal it from Sue's surprisingly unlocked cabinet file when she sent me to pick up her hormone replacement injection yesterday while she was leading Cheerio practice," Kurt said innocently.

"I'm posting this one YouTube," Finn grinned, reaching for the laptop.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Rachel started to block him.

"Rachel, posting this means Coach Sylvester will get a taste of some of the humiliation she's been putting us through since this club was formed," Mercedes raised an eyebrow.

"You guys need to stop being such asses," Jesse agreed, "and start being **bad-**asses."

Finn was already done posting. "Ten bucks it goes viral by lunch," he said.

"I'll take that bet," Sam said holding out a fake bill and chuckling when everyone—save Blaine, who shot him an irritated look—ignored him. He was having some fun, wreaking havoc when he was invisible!

Unfortunately, there was little fun to be had, for Will walked in. "I have to say," he began, "I am really disappointed in you guys. I just found a piece of paper that lists you by sexual promiscuity. Now, who did it?"

Sam immediately turned to Santana, who kept filing her nails.

"This is serious," Will warned. "Principal Figgins is threatening to disband the club."

Santana rolled her eyes and looked up. "Why are we playing this game? We all know it was Puck," she said, turning to face him.

"I didn't do squat!" Puck protested.

"Then why is your girlfriend first on the Glist?" Tina snorted.

"And why am I **last**?" Rachel demanded. "Aside from the fact that I refused to put out for you," she added.

"Enough!" Will yelled, putting a stop to this. "No one is accusing anyone of anything." There was a pause before he turned to the mohawked teen. "Puck, seriously, did you do it?" he asked.

"I said **no**!" Puck growled. "I'm a delinquent, sure. I like setting stuff on fire and beating up people I don't know, I own that, but I'm not a liar!"

Will shrugged awkwardly. "Here's the important point. Between this and posting Coach Sylvester's personal video on YouTube, you guys are getting a pretty bad reputation."

"And what's wrong with that?" Blaine asked. "I'd like to know."

"And maybe if we seem more dangerous," Artie added, "people would stop flushing my glasses down the toilet."

Will walked past Artie without responding to him, and passed out music. "I understand that you guys are under a lot of pressure with Regionals coming up, and I know that winning Sectionals hasn't had the positive effect that we wanted socially. But becoming what you despise is not the answer. The answer is what I just gave all of you," he referenced their music. "A terrific song on a long list of top hits, that because of time or some bad press has become a joke. And, like you guys, it's time to start rehabilitating its bad reputation. This week, you guys have to find other underappreciated songs like this one in your hands right now, and make it great again, just like you guys."

"This song is whack!" Mercedes protested.

"This song should be arrested for the crime of sucking," Jesse agreed.

"You want to bet?" Will smiled challengingly as he motioned for the already-there jazz band to play while he sang "Ice, Ice, Baby." Sam sat up. This was strange. Why were they always there?

"This song is officially paroled!" Will cheered.

"Free to commit crimes again," Pearl said, walking into the attention of no one but Blaine, Brittany, and Sam. "Come on, Sam, we're leaving."

* * *

><p>"I call this Divas' Meeting to order. First up, our free-falling reps have reached their terminal velocity since our names failed to show up on the Glist," Kurt banged a mug that was seemingly chipped by an invisible man or woman the day before. "What does a C-Lister do when their tiny star is about to fall off Perez Hilton's radar screen?" he asked. "They cause a scandal so extreme, they can no longer be ignored." He felt someone telling him that he had terrible grammar, but ignored it.<p>

"Wait, why is Brittany slumped over a chair on the risers?" asked Artie.

"I've been here since first period," she said dully. "I had a cold and I took all my antibiotics at the same time. And now I can't remember how to leave. But I do remember how I didn't make the top three on the Glist, even though I've made out with everybody at school: girls, boys, Mr. Kinney the janitor."

"You can join us wreaking havoc on the new school library," Kurt promised.

* * *

><p>Blaine entered first, singing loudly.<p>

_You're on the phone with you crush and he's upset. He's going off about something that you said.  
>'Cause he doesn't get your humor like I do.<br>I'm in my room. It's a typical Tuesday night. I'm listening to the kind of music he doesn't like.  
>And he'll never know your story like I do.<br>But you wear short skirts, I wear T-shirts. You're cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers.  
>Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time.<em>

Behind him, the door burst open so Tina, Brittany wheeling Artie, Kurt, and Mercedes could enter and dance.

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you, been here all along  
>So why can't you see? You belong with me. You belong with me.<em>

Everyone stopped dancing and singing except Brittany and Artie. Brittany sang the first line and Artie sang the second as she spun him around on his chair.

_Walking the streets with you and your worn-out jeans, I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be.  
>Laughing on a park bench thinking to myself, 'Hey, isn't this easy?'<em>

Mercedes and Tina started dancing on either side of Kurt. Mercedes sang the first and third lines. and Tina sang the second and the fourth lines.

_And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town. I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down.  
>You say you're fine, I know you better than that. Hey, what you doing with a girl like that?<br>We wear high heels, he wears sneakers. We're cheer captains and he's on the bleachers  
>Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time.<em>

Unexpectedly, Artie (still being wheeled by Brittany) and Blaine took Mercedes' and Tina's spots and the three of them sang.

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you, been here all along  
>So why can't you see, you belong with me? You belong with me.<br>Standing by you, waiting at your back door, all this time  
>How could you not know, baby, you belong with me? You belong with me.<em>

Brittany and Artie stayed where they were while Mercedes and Tina took Blaine's spot as the short boy stood eye-to-eye with Kurt. The four sang behind him while Kurt watched in shock.

_Oh, I remember you, driving to my house, in the middle of the night.  
>I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry.<br>I know your favorite songs, and you tell me about your dreams.  
>I think I know where you belong, think I know it's with me.<em>

Brittany, Artie, Mercedes, and Tina suddenly grew silent, and Blaine took Kurt's hand as he sang to his ex-boyfriend hopefully.

_Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you? Been here all along  
>So why can't you see, you belong with me.<br>Standing by you, waiting at your backdoor. All this time, how could you not know?  
>Baby, you belong with me. You belong with me.<em>

The other four resumed their singing and subdued dancing while Blaine kept singing.

_You belong with me. Have you ever thought just maybe, you belong with me? You belong with me!_

But Kurt did not acknowledge him and left in a huff. Immediately afterward, the librarian walked over with an angry expression. Blaine glared at everyone and left dejectedly.

"Here it comes," Artie grinned, hopeful the librarian would cheer Blaine up a bit.

The librarian took off her glasses and let down her hair. "That was very cute," Pearl told them. "I'm going to talk to my pastor and see if I can't get you kids to perform that for our Sunday service."

This time, everyone glared at each other and left dejectedly.

* * *

><p>After speaking to each of the Glee singers one-on-one with less than success ("Why does everybody assume I'm angry all the time? It's called 'being sassy, Mr. Schue!") Will decided to yell at everyone together.<p>

"Look, I know you know something, we we're not leaving here until I get some answers!" Will slammed his hand on his desk.

Kurt carefully rearranged himself on his seat. "Mr. Schuester, may I be blunt?" he asked.

"Shoot," Mr. Schue gave up.

"That was a rhetorical question, but ever since you separated from your wife, you've spent a lot of late nights watching reruns of 'Law and Order,' haven't you?"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure she's not coming home tonight?" the Doctor asked Sam for the upteenth time.<p>

Sam smirked. "I have it on good authority that she and Olivia Newton John are in a recording studio right now."

Pearl looked at him oddly. "How did you hear that?"

Sam grinned. "Well," he began.

* * *

><p>Kurt looked at Blaine, Mercedes, Artie, Tina, and Brittany. The first and the last were the only people who were aware that Sam was in the room as Kurt spoke.<p>

"Listen, guys. If we want to become badasses, we'll have to do something more terrifying than Rachel's personality."

"Like what?" Tina asked.

Kurt sighed. "We're going to have to tell Sue that we're the ones who posted her video online."

"You mean, you posted her video online," Artie said, starting to wheel himself away from the room. "I'm out of here!"

* * *

><p>"That doesn't actually tell us why Sue wouldn't be here," Pearl reminded Sam.<p>

"Oh, right, that reminds me," and he told them the rest of the story.

* * *

><p>"Remember, if Sylvester hits you in the face after you cop to posting the video, don't scream like a woman," Artie said.<p>

"Thank you," Kurt squeaked. Then the unmistakable thundering of Sue's feet could be heard and everyone scrambled away from Kurt as the boy walked toward her and said too-sweetly, "Coach Sylvester, could I have just a minute of your time?"

"What do you want, Lady Face?" Sue replied shortly.

Kurt took a deep breath, but before he could go ahead with his planned speech, Blaine started to talk. "You're aware that a tape was leaked onto the Internet causing you to become a national laughingstock? We—well, I—stole the tape from your syringe-and-pill drawer, I posted it online, and I'll accept whatever punishment you see fit," Blaine said breathlessly.

"So it was you!" Sue pointed a threatening finger in the short boy's direction. Just as it seemed that everyone was about to soil themselves, the cheerleading coach broke into a smile. "I can't thank you enough!" she said, waving as she left Blaine to pass out.

Kurt caught him.

* * *

><p>Before Pearl could ask whether Kurt and Blaine were now together, the sounds of a high school band playing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" echoed hollowly, as if heard through a tunnel. They stared at the crack on Sue's wall, which had grown considerably since the trio had entered. The Doctor immediately tensed and planted his feet on the ground firmly. Sam saw this and copied his action. Pearl, however, was too busy singing "Turn around, bright eyes!" to think about anchoring herself to the ground, and with a sharp tug, she was sucked into the crack and disappeared.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Next time, Kurt and Blaine <em>still _don't make up (sorry, folks, but I promise a smut scene when they do). What does happen, however, is Laryngitis twisted on its head. Also, I will reference the (totally awesome) episode, "Doomsday," from _Doctor Who_. __Stay tuned!_

_And please, if you're still reading, review! Seriously, the last few chapters have had a 1:1 review ratio..._


	25. Rose's Turn Part One

_So here's what you missed on Glee: in the last chapter of Tesseraction, Pearl got stuck in an avalanche on her own and sang. The song took her back to the TARDIS because she sang it with all the desperation of someone who really didn't want to die. Also, in the _Doctor Who_ episode "Doomsday," the world was overrun by Daleks and Cybermen, which the Doctor forced into the void between universes._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the musical "Gypsy," of which there is only one reference this entire chapter, and that's the title. _

* * *

><p>Chapter XXV: Rose's Turn (Part One)<p>

"Whoa! Where the fuck did she go?" Sam demanded. The band music became muffled and died out altogether.

The Doctor sighed. "She's in the void."

"What the hell does that mean?" Sam asked.

The Doctor closed his eyes, and Sam was relieved he couldn't see the pained look in the Time Lord's eyes anymore. "It means she's trapped between universes. And since there's nothing, literally nothing between universes, she can never breathe, or move, or change, or leave."

"Why the hell not?" Sam asked. "I mean, if there's nothing, aren't the universes right next to each other? And if things can get sucked into the void, how can there be nothing in it?"

The Doctor groaned. "Best case scenario, she's immediately and painfully killed in the void by Daleks or Cybermen, and worst case scenario, she's stuck in there forever."

"Can't we get her out? You have a sonic screwdriver; doesn't that open cracks into the void?" Sam asked, pointing to the blue device.

The Doctor looked at it for a good, long while. "Stuck," he muttered. "She was frozen in a state of singing," he stood and looked around, distracted by his idea. "If we can hear her in the crack, I can open it and pull her out, but that would pull other things stuck in there out too."

"So what?" Sam asked. "Can't you defeat them?"

The Doctor grinned. "Easily," he bragged. "Come on," he waved at Sam. "We're going to the cracks—to **every** crack—and see if we can't get her back!"

* * *

><p>Along with everyone else, Blaine and Kurt stared at Puck when he walked in without his trademark mohawk.<p>

"Who **is** that guy?" Brittany asked Santana.

Puck sighed and sat next to her. "My mom found a mole on my head when she was washing my hair on Friday." There was no singing or screaming.

"Your mom still washes your hair?" Santana replied.

"She thought I had cancer, so she sent me to this demontologist who shaved off my hair to see the mole. But now I feel like that guy who lost all his hair and then lost all his strength."

"Samson?" Santana offered helpfully.

"Agassi," Puck shook his head. "Seriously, though, this loser actually looked me in the eye today. I can't believe all my hotness was in my hair."

"Actually, I don't know if it's the missing mohawk or the whining, but I am totally not turned on by you right now," Santana said before leaving.

* * *

><p>"I'm human garbage," said a familiar male. Pearl felt that could have been joy, if there was such thing as joyful nothingness. It had been a while since she had been able to tell time, or maybe it hadn't. Either way, hearing another human voice meant there was hope for her. She latched on to the residual existence of the boy and something like thoughts began to form in her mind, just enough for her to know to focus on Puck so that she could continue to exist.<p>

"I should just lie here until the truck comes and let it crush me to death. What's the point of living when I suck so bad?" Around him, people clapped while Mercedes sang. Then there were more thoughts. "Wait a minute. That black chick used to suck and now she's all kinds of popular. If she can straighten herself out, I certainly can. But how? I'm not becoming a Cheerio. Wait, I don't need to _be_ a cheerleader; I just need to date one. Get ready, black-girl-whose-name-I-can't-remember, the Puckster's about to make you his." And a crack formed in the dumpster, large enough for it to break just after Puck jumped out. He didn't notice the little cracks in the asphalt as he continued walking.

"Hey, sugar, listen, I got a proposition to make. I did some research. Blacks and Jews have a history of sticking up for each other," Puck said, catching Mercedes on her way to her locker. "And Wikipedia says that King Martin Luther **loved** the Jews."

There was the sound of giggling, but since it seemed to be coming from Mercedes' closed locker, Puck didn't pay much attention to it as he and Mercedes bantered.

"Baby, I just am not attracted to you. Plus, I know what you do to the girls you date," she opened her locker and found that the wall behind it was cracked and her stuff was missing, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. "You knock them up, and then you hang them out to dry."

"Look, Quinn and I weren't dating, alright? I was just screwing her when Finn wasn't. Besides, she knew better than to tie me down. I'm a sex shark. If I stop moving, I die."

"Stop," Mercedes held up her hand. "You're Top 40; I'm rhythm and blues. We have nothing in common," she said as she walked away.

* * *

><p>Blaine wasn't listening when Will yelled at the kids for slacking off. He wasn't listening to everyone else yelling at Rachel. He wasn't listening to everyone excusing themselves because Santana was too hot and Quinn was too pregnant and "There are just so many lyrics," really, Brittany? He was far too busy looking at the crack that now spanned the entire back wall to pay more than arbitrary attention to Will telling everyone that their assignment of the week was to sing in their true voice until he heard Kurt and Mercedes leaving the room.<p>

"I personally can't wait to perform. I know my voice; I have the vocal range of a sixteenth-century castrato, but you know what I have that he doesn't?" Mercedes turned to him, about to suggest the obvious two, when he continued, "A song by Whitney Houston."

"Oh, hey Kurt," Burt smiled and waved at his son.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Kurt asked, dropping Mercedes' hand. For some reason, when his father was around, he didn't think holding hands with Mercedes was a good idea. "Is something wrong?" Kurt wondered.

"No," Burt smiled. "I'm just here to take Finn to a baseball game."

"Well, why didn't you invite me?" Kurt asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Burt smiled. "Every time I sit down to watch a game, you start in on the fact that all the players are wearing stirrup pants."

"Because there's never an excuse for stirrup pants," Kurt knew he was losing ground and clung to the only thing he had.

"Oh, hey, are we ready to go?" Finn asked, walking in.

"We'll be back at around midnight; don't wait up, okay?" Burt waved goodbye to his son. Mercedes opened her locker as Kurt and Rachel bumped parts out of each other. They kept walking, and Mercedes felt something rushing past her head and into her locker, but when she didn't find anything inside her locker—she didn't expect to find something anyway—she shrugged off the feeling and closed the locker.

The first thing Kurt did when he got home was change clothes. The last thing Rachel did before she went to sleep was take a sweeping glance at her warm-up music and decide that she didn't want to sing right now after all.

* * *

><p>"Girl, you got more curves than a Nissan ad," Puck tried to flirt with Mercedes again. This time Rachel's laugh brushed past both of them, but when they turned to the girl, her lips were focused on her conversation with Finn, and yet that laughter was too audible to be faked.<p>

"Alright, guys," Will clapped his hands together to announce the beginning of class. "Who's going first?" he asked.

Rachel jumped up and immediately walked to the front of the class, but when she opened her mouth to sing "The Climb," the only thing that came out was a thin, sharp voice not suited for song. Everyone looked at each other in confusion (and discomfort when a particularly high note was over-hit) except Brittany, who was talking to the wall. After a few seconds, Brittany tapped Blaine on the shoulder.

"You mother says you should tell Sam she's wherever Puck is," Brittany whispered.

"How do I tell him that?" Blaine whispered back. "I can't call them," he looked down at his phone and wondered if he could remember the number like he remembered Sunday night. Pearl had twice introduced herself as his mother; he must have called her at some point in his future, even if he didn't remember. Excusing himself, he went outside and dialed seven digits that felt right.

Immediately, his phone tried to leap out of his hand. He gripped it so hard that he could no longer feel the tips of his fingers.

"Blaine!" the woman sounded happy. No, she sounded like she had just been introduced to the idea of happy.

"Pearl, what did you mean?" Blaine hissed.

"You're like Typhoid Mary; you don't have it, you just transmit it. And Puck's got it, so I'm near him. Tell Sam," here she recited a number, "and tape your phone back together." Blaine's phone seemed to explode in his hand. A large crack ran down the screen.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Ladyface," Sue walked up to Kurt moisturizing with a mirror. "I noticed you weren't at Cheerios practice yesterday, and I don't look kindly on absenteeism."<p>

"Sorry," Kurt said. "I spent most of last night afraid that my dad and I can't bond because I'm gay," he sighed.

"Oh, how do you know you're gay? Have you ever kissed a boy?"When Kurt shook his head, Sue continued to ask, "Well, have you ever kissed a girl?"

Kurt shook his head again and closed his locker.

"You see, that's the problem with your generation; you're obsessed with labels. So you like show tunes! That doesn't mean you're gay; it just means you're awful! You know," she added with something akin to warmth in her voice, "there's only one person in this world who can tell you what you are."

Kurt smiled and rolled his eyes at the expected cliché. "Me," he nodded dismissively.

Sue smiled kindly. "Exactly," she said in a tone one expected from Emma Pillsbury. "I'm pleased to see that you've finally decided to embrace yourself."

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine walked up to his ex-boyfriend and pressed his phone into Kurt's hand. "Your dad fixes things, right?"

* * *

><p>"Where are you trying to go?" asked Sam.<p>

"When in doubt, go to the doctor," the Doctor replied.

"But you are the Doctor," Sam looked confused.

"No, I mean Dr. Song. River Song," the Doctor smiled as the TARDIS roared into life. However, when he opened the door, he let started to throw a tantrum, as he did not see the woman who vaguely resembled Alex Kingston anywhere.

"Doc, hey, Doc," Sam tugged on the Doctor's sleeve to get his attention, and pointed at a nearby house. "Does that say what I think it says?" he asked.

8513 Chord Street, a cracked a dilapidated house that nobody looked at, besides the two males who exchanged celebratory high-fives and walked in.

"This is it," the Doctor gaped and walked carefully inside, holding out the sonic screwdriver as if it were a sword.

"Is she in here?" Sam asked.

"No, but she is in there," the Doctor pointed to the largest crack yet, something definitely big enough to fit a human. He pressed a button on the screwdriver that made the crack vibrate until it got bigger. The sound of screaming could be heard.

The Doctor and Sam winced. "Is she supposed to sound like this?" Sam asked.

The Doctor looked grim. "Nothing is scarier, far scarier, than a monster. At least with a monster, you know what you're fighting, you can learn to defeat it."

Just then, Sam's phone buzzed. He checked the text message. "Hey, Blaine says that if we find Puck, we'll find her."

"That explains a lot," the Doctor said in a flat monotone.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, looking up. Immediately, he froze.

Apparently, monsters existed in nothing.

"Exterminate!"

The look on the Doctor's face was petrifying. "I didn't mean to reverse the polarity quite _that_ hard," he whimpered.

* * *

><p>"I don't know what to do with this," Burt said, walking downstairs. "Engines and electronics are two totally different-" his eyes widened when he saw Kurt wearing baggy jeans and a coat vest over a flannel shirt. A thoroughly unsuitable cap was the cherry on this unflattering cake, at least until Kurt started speaking in possibly the lowest octave Burt had ever heard.<p>

* * *

><p>"Sure, but I've got to be honest with you; that's pretty much what every Mellencamp song is about. But, you know, I'll get my coat—anything to help you out," Burt's voice was clear through the crack, which had shifted from broadcasting the Glee room to broadcasting Kurt's room.<p>

Blaine wanted to throw something. His parents had been nicer than usual to him—namely, ignored him—and while he enjoyed that, it only added to his feeling that something was incredibly off. His parents were not nice people. He just wished he knew what was wrong.

* * *

><p>The answer was not forthcoming the next day, although it got no less confusing, when the jazz band walked in.<p>

"What are they doing here?" Mercedes asked what was on Blaine's mind.

"I thought I'd need some help from the brothers from the jazz band," Puck said.

Blaine wondered why he didn't mention his sisters—the flutist in the back had a long ponytail—even if the single girl never lifted her face. Come to think of it, he couldn't hear the flute, either.

"Since I shaved off my mohawk, I started seeing things differently," Puck continued. "Last week, I joined a black church, and I recently downloaded every song Sammy Davis Jr. ever recorded on iTunes. He was a black Jew, you know, and my inspiration." He launched into "Lady is a Tramp" and Blaine noticed three things almost simultaneously.

Santana went from enjoying the song to glaring at the singer, Mercedes went from bored to being incredibly into the singer, and Kurt was wearing flannel, a vest, and a cap. A sense of _wrong_ fell over the entire room, which only exacerbated when Kurt, who appeared to be chewing something that smelled _nothing_ like gum, went up to sing "Pink Houses."

Everyone looked at each other oddly, and applause was scattered and weak. Will even told Kurt off for not showing his true voice. Mike, Brittany, and Blaine looked at each other, confirming that something was wrong, before Brittany looked down to check her text messages.

"I am not a box," Kurt said, nonplussed. "There are more than four sides to me."

"Kurt," Blaine began with a pleading note in his voice, but the bell rang and Brittany walked up to Kurt and cut Blaine off.

"So, you're pretty much the only guy in this school that I haven't made out with, because I thought you were capital-G gay, but now that you're not, having a perfect record would mean a lot to me. So, let me know if you want to tap this," Brittany said, gesturing sensually to her own body.

"Gay?" Santana looked confused and angry. "Since when was Kurt gay?" she muttered, leaving.

Blaine wondered if anyone else noticed that half the back wall had crumbled off, or that the jazz band was now missing a member.

* * *

><p>Kurt's hand brushed against the wall, where words he never saw were written, when he tried to keep Brittany's hand off his butt and down to his thigh. Her lip gloss tasted like root beer, which didn't make sense because she would never wear anything but pure sugar. "Can I ask you something?" he began, not sure why he was asking. "What do boys' lips taste like?" He could barely remember something, someone, who made him feel loved.<p>

"Usually dip," Brittany answered. "Sometimes hamburgers, or my armpits," she added calmly.

Burt, walking past the door, saw a custom-made Do Not Disturb sign that wouldn't have seemed out of place had the cracked phone in his pocket not vibrated just then with a voicemail.

"I guarantee you, he's still gay," said a woman. A feeling of _wrong_ washed over him.

* * *

><p><em>I've already written the scene where Blaine and Kurt get back together, and it will be happening sometime within the next two chapters.<em>

_Guys, I know I promised to write about season two as well, but I couldn't think of a good way to stretch the mystery out this far. So, season two will be its own, separate arc. It should still be interesting, -crosses fingers- but it will be a different story._


	26. Rose's Turn Part Two

_Hey, everybody! I hope you enjoy this installment of Fifteen. We've only got two or three more chapters left to go, I'm afraid, before this wraps up. But never fear! A sequel will soon be here!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Rose's Turn," and I'm sorry to every single person who's ever performed that song for being outshone by Chris Colfer's version!_

* * *

><p>Chapter XXVI: Rose's Turn (Part Two)<p>

"Am I interrupting something?" Burt asked. "I came home to find this note on your doorknob: 'Do not enter under any circumstances. I'm making out with a girl.' And I just thought it was the start of one of your murder mystery dinners."

Kurt felt a little fluttering in the back of his head as faded memories were replaced by vibrantly-colored movies with no emotional content. "I really need you to respect my privacy," he said in a drawl. "Brittany and I were just having sexual relations."

Burt stared for a few seconds, feeling uneasy and helpless. "Kurt, come here," he gestured. Kurt walked toward him, and Burt whispered, "Are you sure about this, Kurt? I don't want you pretending to be someone you're not."

"I've finally found myself," Kurt said breezily, "and it turns out we have a lot in common, like a love for the ladies."

Burt nodded slowly, his confusion not even a little bit alleviated. "Just let me know when you make up your mind," he said finally. "I'm going to do the best I can, but I'm good either way." He was about halfway up the stairs before deciding to play along. "Be careful," he added playfully. "Use protection if you have to."

* * *

><p>"Alright," said the Doctor, pointing his sonic screwdriver at the wall. "That should seal the Dalek inside, but the energy from the void is still changing things around here. We've got to get Pearl back." He turned to Sam. "You say she contacted you?"<p>

Sam nodded. "She sent me a voicemail," he held out his cell phone.

The Doctor took it and listened before hanging up. "Someone must have contacted her with his or her phone and given her a voice, just like Puck came into contact with her and gave her a physical form." He tossed Sam's phone back to him. "Come on," he waved to the boy, "we have to find this Noah Puckerman and get back our girl!"

* * *

><p>"Does he mean like a burglar alarm?" Brittany asked.<p>

Kurt shook his head and sighed. "Brittany, why did you really offer to come here?"

"I got this text message from the other Blaine's mother, and she told me to keep an eye on you because you would be the most affected," Brittany said casually.

"What does she mean, the most affected?" Kurt's voice was now back to its regular pitch.

"You're around Blaine all the time, and Mike and I grew up on a rift," Brittany said.

"What rift?" Kurt found himself curious, for some reason.

"A crack in reality," Brittany sounded casual, but in her tone was something Kurt could not possibly mistake for ignorance. "It's where two universes that don't go together are forced to touch."

Kurt was suddenly, inexplicably terrified.

* * *

><p>Puck was very rarely cornered, but this six-foot golden boy had him pinned to the wall. "I need you to come with me," said Sam.<p>

"Where?" Puck asked.

"To a really hot chick," Sam said after a second. Puck liked older women, didn't he?

Puck smiled. "I'm down," he said.

"Great," Sam nodded for the Doctor to drive Bessie back to Sue's house, where a very confused Puck was made to touch the crack on the wall.

"Now, this should work," said the Doctor, aiming his sonic screwdriver again. "Stay there, Puck!" he yelled as the rift began to widen slowly, slowly, until a woman stepped out.

"Finally!" Pearl smiled. "I was beginning to think you'd never find me."

"Oh, come now," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Have more faith in me than that!"

Pearl smiled. "I have something better than faith for you, Doctor; I have information. But first, we have to drive Puck back home."

* * *

><p>"I like your hands," Brittany said while Tina and Artie stared in shock. "They're really soft."<p>

"The secret?" Kurt smiled. "Duck fat," he said in his heterosexually low voice.

"Seriously, they feel like a baby. Now I know what it's like to date a baby."

"Kurt!" Burt called from behind the "couple."

* * *

><p>"Typhoid Mary never had typhoid, she was immune, but the people around her weren't."<p>

"I follow you," the Doctor nodded.

"Mike, Brittany, and Blaine all grew up on the rift. Mike got the ability to see things that are happening in the future, in his universe. Brittany got the ability to see the different realities, but it broke her mind a little. Blaine's immune to rift activity, but every piece of reality he touches is affected. But you know how scarred skin is thicker than smooth?" the Doctor and Sam nodded. "Well, the universe is starting to scar over from Blaine's wounds on reality, and the first piece of reality Blaine wounded after he was sent back was the dumpster Puck and Finn were tossed into. There was a crack so deep under the dumpster that it connected to the void. When Puck was tossed in, the rift sucked out a bit of his existence into the void and, since I was the same species as him, it came to me. Puck gave me an existence, but that existence depended on his being nearby," Pearl said. The Doctor and Sam stared. "I had a lot of time to think after I started existing," she explained. "And the void, Doctor, it holds so many secrets. I didn't get a chance to see all of them."

"You shouldn't want to," said the Doctor. "All that knowledge would burn your mind."

"I know," Pearl was suddenly somber. "Nine died from it; what chance does a lowly human have against it?" Everyone mourned for a silent moment.

"Go on," the Doctor nodded, snapping them out of their sad funk.

"Well, when Blaine contacted me, his existence gave me a voice. That's how I was able to contact you guys and get myself out. But that's not all I did."

"Uh-oh," the Doctor was displeased.

"I couldn't figure out why or how we were sucked in here, but I did think of a way to seal the cracks in reality," Pearl continued.

"Please tell me you didn't," the Doctor almost whimpered.

"I remembered how, the first time I was with you, I got stuck with Carlisle Cullen in England and sang my way back, because I was so desperate to go home?" Pearl prattled on obliviously. "So then I wondered, 'Gee, who might be desperate to go back home as he knows it?' Kurt!"

"Pearl," the Doctor looked very serious. "You shouldn't have done that; we need to go through the cracks back to your reality. How do we stop your plan from coming into effect?"

Pearl paled. "It already has."

* * *

><p>"Just go away," Kurt dropped the low voice and the drawl. Brittany left, knowing reality was restored, as Burt walked up with no phone in his right pocket. "You didn't think that I might want to do those things?"<p>

"Carole thought it might be a good idea for me and Finn to spend some time together. We can get together as much as you want, kid, just not tonight," Burt said before leaving.

Kurt started to sing at the shrinking figure of his father before turning and walking toward the hallway with pain shining in his eyes and voice.

_All that work and what did it get me? Why did I do it?  
>Scrapbooks full of me in the background.<br>Give them love and what does it get you? What does it get you—  
>One quick look as each of them leaves you!<br>All your life and what does it get you?  
>"Thanks a lot" and out with the garbage.<br>They take bows and you're batting zero._

He looked out at the stage, not realizing his clothes had changed in mere seconds.

_I had a dream. I dreamed it for you, Dad. It wasn't for me, Dad.  
>And if it wasn't for me, then where would you be, Miss Rachel Berry?<em>

Puck saw possibly familiar boy in the halls, racing toward the song with a man and a woman he also vaguely recognized by his side.

_Well, someone tell me, when is it my turn? Don't I get a dream for myself?  
>Starting now, it's gonna be my turn. Gangway, world, get off of my runway!<br>Starting now, I bat a thousand. This time, boys, I'm taking the bows and_

Blaine wasn't sure when his phone had reappeared in his pocket, perfectly fixed, except for the voicemail icon. It said he had two new ones, but he checked and he didn't have any!

_Everything's coming up Kurt! Everything's coming up Hummel!  
>Everything's coming up Kurt! This time for me! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!<em>

_For me!_ Mike slumped on his bed. Of course, the one time he tries to use his clairvoyance to cheat on a math test by predicting the answers, those powers would go away. Behind him, he heard a crackling sound and leapt up at the sight of a deep crack on his wall disappearing.

_For me! _Brittany waved goodbye at the rapidly sealing crack on her wall. It had entertained and confused her a lot over the years, but she was going to be lonely without all those people to talk to.

_For me!_ The garbage truck picked up the contents of an entirely whole dumpster outside McKinley High School, just like any other day.

_For me!_ Sue nodded at her unblemished walls, newly painted the color of blood.

_For me! _Blaine swallowed and closed his eyes, as if not being able to see the horror his parents were about to unleash on him would make it any less horrifying.

_For me! _The Doctor, Pearl, and Sam found renewed hope when they passed Emma's flipped door, but it was too late by the time they got into the auditorium.

_Yeah!_ Kurt dived and recalled an earlier conversation with his cheerleading coach.

* * *

><p>"No, me, Sue Sylvester," Sue growled. "I just haven't made up my mind about you yet."<p>

Kurt looked thoughtful. "I know who I am," he said, drawing himself up to his full height, "and I'm going to use the Glee assignment of the week to prove it."

"Yeah, you know what, I checked out of this conversation about a minute back," Sue deadpanned. "So, good luck with your troubles, and I'm going to make it a habit not to stop and talk to students, 'cause this has been a colossal waste of my time."

* * *

><p>Burt's applause shattered the silence in the empty theater. "That was some serious singing, kid."<p>

"What happened to getting hoagies?" Kurt asked.

Burt shrugged. "We didn't go," he said simply.

"Finn must have been disappointed," Kurt said jealously.

"I told him I needed to spend more time with you. He understood."

"I'm fine," Kurt flashed a fake smile.

"Kurt, I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid. And I have no idea what that song was about, but fine don't sing like you just sung," Burt climbed up on the stage. "Look, we both knew it would be hard to adjust to you being gay."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment," he started to walk away.

"Hey," Burt refused to take any of this crap. And he knew this was crap, even if he couldn't remember which woman told him so. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, I'm sorry," Kurt's eyes filled with tears. "It just hurts when I see how easily you get along with Finn, and not with me. I wanted you to know that I'm willing to work just as hard as you to make our relationship work."

Burt walked forward. "You don't have to work at anything, Kurt. Your job is to be yourself, and my job is to love you, no matter what. That—and a majority ownership in a tire store—that's all we got."

Kurt's tears dried a little. "I missed you."

The two hugged and told each other "I love you" and the trio silently slipped out.

"I know I did something really stupid, Doc," Pearl began, "but I can't find it in me to regret it."

The Doctor shook his head. "Neither can I," he admitted.

Then Sam saw something that brought such relief that his knees nearly gave out. "Doctor, look at Emma's door. It's still the other way around."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Whatever drew us here is still active. Kurt's song closed up most of the cracks, but he must not have destroyed whatever is making the cracks."

"So, we still have a chance of getting home?" Pearl asked anxiously.

The Doctor looked at her. "Are you kidding? The TARDIS can get us anywhere," he said indignantly before looking at Pearl oddly. "You seem oddly coordinated for someone who just came back into a corporeal existence."

Sam caught the look that the two older aliens shared and faked a yawn. "I should go to sleep," he said hastily. "Goodbye."

Pearl waited until Sam was out of earshot to whisper, "Sam doesn't die. Something happens, because for a brief moment, I was back in our universe."

"Oh, yeah, that was when I brought the Dalek out," the Doctor shrugged guiltily.

"YOU BROUGHT A DALEK OUT HERE?" Pearl's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"I put it back," the Doctor responded meekly.

Pearl seemed to come back into herself. "Fine," she fumed. "But don't do it again, even if I'm stuck in the rift. I'm not worth it, Doctor," she said sternly before walking away.

The Doctor looked at her as she left. "Yes, you are," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Mike sat bolt upright. His visions had come back. He wished he knew whether or not that was a good thing.<p>

_A text message in the middle of the night? This had better be a matter of life and death!_

_Oh, it was. He texted his friends on the football team. There was Finn, Artie, Sam. _Who the hell is Sam? There weren't/aren't/won't be any blonds on the football team! _They texted back that they were on their way._

_They stuffed themselves in Coach Beiste's car, armed to the teeth. They were going to clobber whoever dared threaten Blaine, Pearl, and Puck. They got out of the car and were joined by others. New Directions, the FBI, the wrestling team were there._

_The door was pushed down and there was a breathless moment when he knew and everyone knew that something was wrong, because it was too quiet, too quiet, all too quiet._

_And then it wasn't quiet anymore, because there was a gunshot and a gurgle and a gasp and a girl screaming and screaming and screaming, over and over and over because Sam was dead._

Mike looked at the clock next to his bed and blinked in alarm. Wait, no, 1:58, it read. He must have imagined the 3.

* * *

><p>Emma, Will, and Sue walked into each other that night.<p>

"Emma, what are you doing here?" Will asked with concern.

"I could ask you the same thing, Butterface," Sue said, standing up behind Emma. "Hello, Arlene. Have a good night's sleep?"

"Why aren't you home?" Will asked.

"Why aren't you?" Sue snapped back.

Will rolled his eyes. "I-" his eyes widened. "I don't know," he said. "I haven't been home in months, but I don't know why."

Emma looked down at her shoes. "I haven't either." A vision of a man and a boy floated into her mind, but she couldn't place them.

Sue was quiet as well. "I think we should all drive to our individual houses," she said slowly, uncharacteristically quiet. She took a Sharpie out of her bra ("Of course I'm always prepared! I was a Boy Scout when I was younger!") and wrote "Go home" on her arm before passing it to Emma and Will, who copied her message on their arms. (Emma, of course, needed extra convincing, but she did it.)

Silence echoed in the room.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, for those who are confused, a Dalek is a omnicidal metal alien shaped like a peppershaker, and has an eyepiece which can fire laser beams that kill anything and everything. Cybermen are robotized people who have no emotions and want to make everything like themselves. In "Doomsday," a bunch of Cybermen and Daleks invade Earth, but the Doctor sucks them through the void between universes. There's nothing in the void, absolutely nothing. Therefore, no time passes and nothing exists. However, because there's a giant crack in the universe under the dumpster (the first thing Blaine touched that he wasn't supposed to), a little bit of Puck's existence was sucked through, and the species most like Puck in the void is Pearl. And since she started existing again, when Blaine called her phone, the connection between his and her voices let Pearl use her voice again.<em>

_I hope that's not too confusing._

_Next time, Kurt and Blaine make up and have SEX!_


	27. Love Story

_Okay, I get that this has been a really, really long time. I haven't been lazy, I promise. I was just trying to write the prequel that I have in my head so this makes sense. But I figured, I have so much of this written down already, I might as well finish it before I start uploading Tesseraction. So, yeah, please don't kill me?_

_Here, have some smut!_

* * *

><p>Chapter XXVII: Love Story<p>

"How are we going to fix the cracks and go home if we have to fix the cracks that are our only way home?" Sam asked.

"We don't," said the Doctor. "The TARDIS is going to be stuck here forever."

"Or, you could figure out a way to fix the cracks and tell me, Blaine, and Brittany," said Mike. The trio turned to him. "That way, you can get out and leave the rest to us."

"That's actually not a bad idea," the Doctor admitted.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Sam wondered.

"Going to a universe specifically designed to resemble your own can screw with your heads," the Doctor said. "Honestly, I'd be more surprised if you did think of it."

"Have you been getting any weird information?" Pearl asked. "I mean, other than your dreams, have you heard of anything that doesn't make sense?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "You guys keep talking about silence in really loud voices."

"How can there still be cracks?" Sam asked, staring at the splintering floorboards beneath Mike's feet. "I thought Kurt was going to fix things."

"He did," Pearl said gently. "He's contained the damage. It's like the Chernobyl disaster. There was a cement dome built on top of it to keep the radioactive material from spreading, but it didn't clean up the material; Kurt's keeping whatever it is making those cracks from doing this stuff, but we still have to get rid of it."

"How?" Sam asked.

"You were at Emma's house, weren't you? What did you find?" Pearl asked imperially.

"Sue's address," Sam smiled as realization dawned. "Doctor, the machine!" he cheered.

The Doctor smiled sadly. "We don't know the code to work the machine," he said.

"So there are more codes?" Pearl asked.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, we already have all the information we can from the people affected by the rift."

The trio lingered in silence for a few seconds before Pearl suddenly lifted her head and a slow, wondrous smile spread across her face. "Maybe we've talked to everyone who's been affected by the rift directly, but we've never talked to someone who spent all his time with one of them," Pearl said.

"What kind of difference would that make?" the Doctor asked.

"Remember when we were in Sue's office; Brittany waved at us and Santana could just barely hear us?" Pearl asked. "Well, Mike just told us that they're going to be a couple. During the wooing process, Santana is going to stay with Brittany for a long time."

"And Kurt and Blaine," Pearl nodded.

"So, we have to find Kurt, and Santana," the Doctor unlocked the TARDIS.

"Who's the guy looking at us?" Sam asked, pointing to the thin man with an enlarged head silhouetted against the setting sun.

"Nobody we want to see," the Doctor answered in a rush.

Pearl, however, felt hope blossom in her chest. "Sam, you've never seen Series Six?"

* * *

><p>"Take out a piece of paper," said Bryan Ryan, "and on that paper I want you to write down your biggest dream."<p>

Blaine, from his seat, could see Rachel's "HUGE STAR" in capitals, Puck's leet-speak "3some," and Quinn's utterly ridiculous "NO STRETCH MARKS." He looked at his own paper and wondered what he wanted. His hand started writing "be free" almost on its own accord. He crumpled it up and wrote, "ROMANTIC HERO" instead.

"Your dreams are never going to happen!" Bryan began condescendingly. Mike's paper said "Talk to Tina."

"91% of you will spend your entire lives living in Allen County, Ohio, so unless you wrote down that dream was to work for a mid-market health insurance provider or find an entry-level job in an elderly care facility?" Bryan continued. Santana's paper had "2, 5, 6, 13, 5, 5," written on it.

"You're going to be very disappointed," Bryan finished. Tina's paper was folded in half, keeping her word and wish hidden.

"Showbiz dreams are the most unrealistic of them all," Bryan added. Blaine felt his eyes drawn to Kurt's paper, where a phrase made his heart melt.

"Get back together with Blaine."

"Will Schuester here is a prime example; he used to have that glimmer of hope in his eyes that I can see right now in all of yours, but he couldn't make it happen for himself, so he now has to try and convince you all that it will happen for you." Blaine looked at Finn's paper. It said simply, "Reverse."

"Guess what?" Bryan asked rhetorically. "His dream didn't work out, and neither," he snatched Artie's paper out of the boy's hands, "will," crumpled it up, "yours!" he tossed it in the trash.

Tina burst into tears while Brittany smiled obliviously.

"Hey," Will got up angrily.

Bryan turned to him and smiled. "You've made my decision about which program to cut a lot easier," he said before strolling out of the room.

* * *

><p>Sue Sylvester and Bryan Ryan's argument was possibly the strangest Pearl had ever heard while in a hidden room in the ceiling. The fact that it was the first time she was in what looked like a very well-furnished room in the ceiling both alarmed and relaxed her.<p>

"Funding for the arts is important; people who practice them improve in math, foreign language, and reasoning. Your Cheerios, on the other hand, take up 75% of the school budget for extracurricular activities," Bryan Ryan said.

"Did you know that childhood obesity has risen to epidemic levels in the US?" Sue retorted.

"Did you know that this place smells like a homeless woman lives here?" Bryan sneered. "And what's that on your arm?" he pointed. "'Go home!'?"

Sue looked at her arm. "I don't know where these marks came from," she said.

"You're an impressive woman," Bryan Ryan said. "I can't tell you how much you turn me on right now." Actually, he could. "Have you ever heard of the term 'anger sex?'"

"The only kind I know, Bryan," Sue said, walking up to him.

"I should tell you I'm married," Bryan reminded her.

"Not a problem," Sue shook her head.

"I'm still cutting half your budget," he warned.

"Should I lock the door?" Bryan asked with a smirk.

"No; I live upstairs, where no one dare disturb me, like Letterman."

Pearl hid behind a large stack of boxes, all of which were labeled with the names of weapons illegal in most of the world, and any of which could put her out of the misery of having to hear what was going on just a few feet away from her. She plugged her fingers into her ears and waited for them to finish so she could leave. The things she did for the Doctor!

Well, at least Blaine would have a relatively good day.

* * *

><p>Blaine was delighted to find two Victorian-era suits hanging backstage. He immediately texted Kurt and the band to come. Once the countertenor had entered, he started to sing.<p>

_We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts  
>I'm standing there, on a balcony in summer air.<br>See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns. See you make your way through the crowd  
>And say, "Hello," little did I know.<em>

Then it was Kurt's turn to sing as the band played behind him, waltzing with Blaine.

_That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles, and my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet."  
>And I was crying on the staircase, begging you, please don't go." And I said<em>

Now both Kurt and Blaine were both singing, feeling like they'd been transported onstage.

_"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run.  
>You'll be my prince and I will be your prince. It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes.'"<em>

Suddenly, Blaine and Kurt ran to opposite sides of the stage, Blaine holding a fake lantern and wearing an Elizabethan-era riding costume as he sang.

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you. We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew.  
>So close your eyes, escape this town for a little while. Oh, oh.<em>

Kurt appeared at the other side of the stage, which was covered in props and made an obstacle course he tried to navigate in his Romeo costume as he sang.

_'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter, and my daddy said "Stay away from Juliet."  
>But you were everything to me, I was begging you, "Please don't go." And I said<em>

Kurt and Blaine finally touched hands hand spun around the stage.

_"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run.  
>You'll be my prince and I will be your prince. It's a love story, baby, just say 'Yes.'" Oh, oh.<em>

Now Kurt left Blaine in the middle of the stage to sing without instruments or backup vocals.

_I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever coming around.  
>My faith in you was fading, when I met you on the outskirts of town.<br>And I said, "Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you but you never come.  
>Is this in my head? I don't know what to think. He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said,<em>

Kurt came back onstage and finished the song as the background music began again.

_"Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone. I love you and that's all I really know.  
>I talked to your dad; got pick out a white dress. It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes.'" Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh.<em>

Kurt and Blaine looked deeply into each other's eyes and hearts and souls as they sang the last line in harmony, hands clasped and bodies pressed together.

_'Cause we were both young when I first saw you._

Kurt looked at Blaine, really looked at him, and saw a boy who knew what he wanted and had no reservations about asking for it. All denial and pretense were gone; the façade he had hidden behind slipped away to reveal complete vulnerability. This was Blaine Anderson in the raw, and seeing all the emotions and desire in his boyfriend's eyes left Kurt only one option; he held out his hand.

Without hesitation, Blaine took it and stepped into the bed with Kurt.

"Why?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Because I want you," Blaine admitted, "and I need you."

And then it began. Kurt dragged his boyfriend hard against his own chest, burying his hands in that wild tangle of hair, and lowered his mouth to Blaine's in a kiss that told the tenor everything he needed to know about how the male soprano wanted him, right then and there. Blaine stood flush against him, tears raining down, his breath brushing over their hands and thighs pressed together.

Kurt backed him up against the shower wall, skimming his hands down Blaine's sides so that they spanned his waist. He had to touch Blaine everywhere, and Blaine let him, encouraging him with throaty groans, open-mouthed kisses, and his own possessive hands that skated over Kurt's shoulders, down his back, then lower to his hips, where Blaine squeezed and urged Kurt on with the rock of his own hips and a whispered plea to come inside him.

And Kurt wanted to, more than anything, more than breathing. He wanted to enter that tight, sweet heat with nothing coming between them. He came insanely close to doing just that before he remembered that he had to prep Blaine.

"Lie down," Kurt whispered against his boyfriend's mouth. Blaine's breath fluttered against Kurt's lips, erratic and sweet, as Kurt cupped one of Blaine's cheeks with one hand and tweaked a nipple with the other. Blaine shivered and somehow lied down on his back on the bed at Kurt's urging, but he kept his eyes on Kurt. The fire in those warm, dark eyes let Kurt know that Blaine would defy him if the orders got to be too much, but also that Blaine trusted Kurt not to make them too much. Kurt relaxed. Without trust, he would doubtlessly lose Blaine to shame, and he didn't want any of that from him or for him. Tonight was all about pleasure with Kurt, and he would not let Blaine go down that dark path.

"I want to do things to you. Many, many things," Kurt murmured, kneeling over Blaine on the bed and lowering his mouth to the small of Blaine's back. "I want to lick you and suck you here," he whispered, laving a tongue over a tight nipple, and sucking Blaine into his mouth. "Tell me it's good," he demanded moving to Blaine's other nipple and indulging himself in his boyfriend's silken skin and responsive body. "Tell me," he urged again as he slid lover and swirled his tongue around Blaine's navel, nipping lightly and leaving a trail of moisture as he moved lower still.

"It's good," Blaine managed to gasp out, and arching his hips toward Kurt's mouth, begging for more and inviting Kurt to take him. "Very, very good," he agreed when Kurt moved between his legs and finally captured **that** part of him in a way he had fantasized about for months. Kurt kissed his sex hungrily, clutching Blaine's hips in his hands, and holding him against Kurt's mouth, nuzzling the head. Blaine tensed and gave a low groan when Kurt licked a stripe from the base to the head, then flicked the tip of his tongue over the swollen, leaking slit. Lush heat, like an igniting wildfire, flashed, crackled, and burned inside him.

Kurt savored the intoxicating taste of his boyfriend, and judging by Blaine's shuddering sighs, he was enjoying this too. Kurt could feel Blaine's climax rising through his body as he spread lubricant across his fingers before urging Blaine on with a thorough finger that left the tenor gripping the bedspread with clawing fists. When Kurt added the second and third finger, Blaine rose up on his elbows, head thrown back as he reached for Kurt and then flew for him as Kurt took him over that sharp, taut edge of pleasure. Kurt held his fingers into that perfect place while Blaine fell apart, gently nuzzling, leisurely indulging in the scent of Blaine and sex and sweet, sweet surrender. After one last kiss, one last taste, Kurt rose above him to see Blaine's eyes closed, arms flung wide, and reached across the Blaine's body to the nightstand for a condom and more lube, pressing them against Blaine's lax fingers.

Blaine slowly opened his eyes to see Kurt smiling down at him. "Put it on," Kurt said. Blaine's fingers trembled as he opened the packet and, with a renewed urgency, sheathed his boyfriend.

Every muscle in Kurt's body clenched as Blaine's small fingers caressed him, measured him, then guided him home. Nothing felt as good as this. No boy felt as good as Blaine. As Kurt eased in and out of him, he couldn't imagine anything ever feeling as good again. Blaine was tight as a fist, and sleek and wet as oiled silk. But the best part at the moment was that Blaine was his.

Blaine surrendered again, lifting to Kurt, matching his rhythm and taking him deep inside, asking for more, asking for harder, asking for everything Kurt wanted to give, and taking it without reservation. The speed of their matching thrusts increased as they wrapped their legs around each other's. Kurt's arousal boiled up inside.

"Come for me," Kurt said, digging into Blaine's buttocks. The cords in Blaine's neck extended and Kurt's climax shot through him like an electrical current. He collapsed on top of Blaine, burrowing his hands under his boyfriend's hips, and ground his pelvis into Blaine's, wringing out every ounce of the powerful, hot, primal pleasure and prolonging the rush he wanted to go on and on.

"I love you," he murmured against Blaine's throat and kissing him there.

"I love you too," Blaine replied after a deep, contented sigh. Take that, Bryan Ryan!

* * *

><p>Kurt only noticed his desire to turn away from the crack on his wall when he lacked the energy to actually do it. He must have made a murmur of discontentment, because Blaine had his arms wrapped around Kurt in an instant. "What's wrong?" Blaine asked.<p>

"I...my wall," Kurt stared, still wanting to turn his head and still not being able to.

But Blaine didn't have that handicap. He turned toward the wall and read, out loud, "Doctor Who?"

* * *

><p><em>Next time, silence falls as the oldest question in the universe is asked. But the Silents won't go down without a fight!<em>


	28. Live Like We're Dying Part Two

_This is pretty much just an info dump. I might actually write the story out, but it sounds cleverer in my head than it does when I try to elaborate._

_The song "Live Like We're Dying" belongs to Kris Allen, not me._

* * *

><p>Chapter XXVIII: Live Like We're Dying<p>

"My dad pawned our TV," Sam admitted. "I haven't really had time, you know, working at the…uh, Dairy Queen and stuff."

The Doctor and Pearl both cheered, confusing Sam greatly.

"Am I missing something?" he asked.

"Do you know what the Avada Kedavra curse does?" Pearl asked.

"Of course," Sam launched into a description of various Harry Potter curses before the Doctor and Pearl hurriedly cut him off.

"The point is, do you know what the Decrescalio charm is?"

Sam shook his head.

"That's because it's a curse J.K. Rowling didn't know. It's the only charm that can safely shrink people. Other shrinking spells don't accommodate for organs."

"Ew," Sam made a face.

"Exactly. So when the Decrescalio Charm was performed on me, I didn't know what was supposed to happen until after I Hermione do it to Ginny."

Sam's eyes nearly bugged out of his face. "Wait, you've met Hermione and Ginny?"

* * *

><p>"Emma?" Will looked at her. "Are you okay?"<p>

"NO!" Emma shouted. "Look at my clothes! Look at my office!" she soaked her sponge in the bucket of soapy liquid next to her and continued to scrub at the tally marks on the wall.

"It's alright," Will bent down and gathered her in his arms. The red-haired woman gasped when she saw the marks on his arms.

"Will, was your office vandalized too?" Emma asked worriedly.

"I don't have an office," Will said, just as there was a shout from the choir room.

Rachel came flying inside. "Vocal Adrenaline has completely **trashed** our practice room, Mr. Schue!" she screamed.

Will let her lead the way, but they bumped into an extremely pissed off Sue Sylvester.

"William, this is the last time I will tolerate your blatant attempts to sabotage my Cheerios!" she roared. Will and Rachel backed away, both looking at the large black marks all over the walls.

Sue stopped rounding up on them suddenly, in favor of screaming at Lauren's Twilight fans and giving them advice on how to bite Jacob Ben Israel so that it hurt.

* * *

><p>Pearl nodded, eyes growing faraway. "It was a long time ago. They were my age when the universe fell apart."<p>

"When did this happen?" Sam asked, intrigued.

Pearl sighed. "My sis—aunt, I mean—was dating this guy named Jackson Cale, but she left him, and he couldn't accept that. So he made this universe, everything in it, to parallel the universe we were just in. But this put so much strain on the universe."

"Hold on," Sam held up his hand. "How did he just **make** another universe?"

The Doctor and Pearl looked at each other. The Doctor turned back to Sam. "I'm the main character of a television programme in your universe."

"Yeah," Sam laughed. "I'm still kind of iffy on that, to be honest."

"Well, Pearl's the main character in the universe you're from," the Doctor said.

Sam, rather than looking confused, appeared excited. "Oh my god, are we a science-fiction show, too?" he asked eagerly.

* * *

><p>"I don't see any cracks," Burt said.<p>

"Look at the part of the wall I'm standing in front of, Mr. Hummel," Blaine stood up on Kurt's bed so that his hair, which was starting to resemble Jacob's jewfro, hid the words.

Burt frowned, rubbing his eyes, and squinted, but no matter how he turned his head, he'd only have to blink and he'd be facing away. "I can't," he was astonished.

"Don't worry, Dad. I couldn't either. I was just so tired after…um, practicing with-with Blaine that, UGH!" Kurt stammered and pressed his palms into his eyes.

Burt cleared his throat. "So, there's a part of the house only Blaine can see, which is supposedly cracked and has ominous messages on it? Sounds like it's time to move."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other before Kurt turned back to Burt. "How are you going to afford that?" he asked.

"Oh, we'd just be moving into Carole's house."

* * *

><p>"Fantasy," Pearl corrected. "Have you ever seen <em>Avatar<em>? Not the movie with the blue people, the animated show."

Sam nodded.

"Well, it's sort of like that, except there's six elements—Light, Earth, Anti-matter, Wind, Fire, and Water—and only six people are ever given that power," Pearl explained. "It's easier to get that power if you're related to someone else who has it, and my parents both did: Light and Wind, so I was born the recipient of both."

"Oh," Sam blinked.

"But Sonny Cale wanted all that power so he could create a universe where Callia Hotchner loved him," Pearl smiled sadly. "Not really that bad of a reason. He probably would've gotten away with it if I hadn't accidentally brought my best friend back to life."

Sam was glad he had passed on the orange juice, because it would have been sprayed all over the console by now.

* * *

><p>Tina looked extremely strange in a plain grey sweatshirt when she walked into glee club. "I feel like an Asian Branch Davidian," she grumbled.<p>

Will encouraged her to try out other looks, and soon suggestions were raining down like, well, rain: biker chick, cowgirl, hood rat, computer programmer, Catholic schoolgirl, Happy Meal sans onions.

As soon as Tina thanked them and complained about being denied her right to express who she really was, Rachel burst in.

"I went to gather evidence that Vocal Adrenaline vandalized our walls," she began.

"Is that even legal?" Blaine asked.

Rachel waved aside his accusation carelessly. "Instead, I found eighteen empty boxes of Christmas lights in one or their dumpsters, and listen to this." She played the tape recorder.

"_Lady Gaga is more than just a musician," a girl said. "We need to be able to do her justice, and right now, you guys just aren't cutting it."_

"_Who put you should kill us all on sight you in charge?" an outraged boy replied._

"_I am choreography captain!"_

"_Well I'm in charge of costuming, and I say we stick with the you should kill us all on sight dancing you laid out last week, or none of us will be able to wear Lady G's __**iconic**__ ballet shoes!"_

"_Are you kidding me? We can't dance at all in those shoes!"_

"_Shut it, Randall!"_

"_I will not! I have been a member of Vocal Adrenaline for five years, and I have never worn anything as difficult to maneuver in as your you should kill us all on sight ballet shoes!"_

"_Oh, so would __**you**__ like to be head of costuming?"_

Tina, Kurt, and Mercedes gasped in horror, but not for the same reason Blaine did.

"What's up with this Gaga dude?" Puck asked. "He just dresses weird, right, like Bowie?"

Kurt looked like he was going to have a panic attack. Blaine supposed he would have found this funny had he not been so terrified of that voice.

* * *

><p>"How did you do that?" Sam demanded.<p>

Pearl laughed. "The summer before I entered high school, my older sister, who should've been dead for two years at that point, appeared on my door step with my completely insane mother, who should have died when I was in the third grade. It turned out that one of her ex-boyfriends, someone named Jackson Cale, was convinced she wouldn't have left him if it weren't for our parents, so he decided to try to get rid of them. And this is where the story gets weird."

"It sounds pretty weird already," Sam said.

Pearl snickered. "Yeah," she said nostalgically. "My parents were among a generation of Elementals. They could each control some aspect of the universe. And I was the first person who could control two, because two Elementals had never…well, **mated** before."

At this, Pearl made a face, which Sam completely understood. He preferred not to think of his parents having sex either, even though it led to his birth and those of his brother and sister.

"Anyway, because I was an anomaly, I was an extra Elemental. My friend, Keefe Cale, was Light Elemental, or a Diamond. He died pushing me out of the way of a car, and I brought him back to life because I was a Diamond, too. But because Light and Wind aren't compatible—not like Light and Fire, for example—the conflict literally tore him apart from the inside out. Another Elemental killed him painlessly so that he wouldn't have to suffer any longer."

Sam frowned. "Blaine's told me you talk to a Keefe," he said suddenly.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "This is where I come in," he said. "Jackson had killed the last generation of Elementals to take their power for himself and create a universe where he and Callie Hartell could be together. The strain this put on the universe meant that it couldn't take something as unnatural as a boy being brought back to life through magical means. The barriers between universes started to disintegrate. I walked from the destruction of Gallifrey to a morgue where a boy with lesions all over his body was trying to get away from that girl, and her friends."

Pearl laughed. "Funny thing was, in his universe, my friends and I were the main characters of a television show. Well, the Gallifreyan equivalent of a television show, anyway. And he helped us figure out that I had accidentally turned some of my friends into Elementals by giving them jewelry from Callie's room. Luckily, this turned out to be an advantage, because we were able to keep Jackson from tearing the entire multiverse apart to search for Callie."

"And then you destroyed the fake universe, right?" Sam asked eagerly. "Was there a really epic battle? Like, with robots and stuff? Oh, were the people in that other universe Autons?"

Pearl and the Doctor both laughed. "Nothing like that," Pearl said. "See, that other universe is the one we're in right now."

Sam frowned. "But if it was putting a strain on the universe, wouldn't it be better to destroy it?"

Now it was Pearl's turn to frown. "This universe was a second chance for Keefe to live again," she said. "I had to power to bestow life, but only at the cost of another's."

"You didn't-"

The Doctor held up a hand. "Neither of us were willing to kill another human being," he said. "Pearl here," he clapped her on the shoulder as she blushed, "came up with the brilliant idea to combine the fake Keefe with the real one. See, the people in the alternate universe were more like living dolls than anything else. Imagine if this box were just that: a box. In the alternate universe, it was. And only the real Keefe could put things like this console in here," the Doctor leaned on the console, as if to prove a point. "So we combined the alternate Keefe's life with the humanity of the Keefe from the original universe, but the new Keefe's existence hinged on this other universe's existence, because without it, the alternate Keefe would not exist either, and Keefe himself, in any form, would die."

Sam felt cold. "What does this have to do with this universe now?"

"There are still rifts: little cracks in time and space. I trust you follow my life religiously?"

Sam nodded.

"Then you know I drove the Silence out of Earth."

Sam's eyes widened. "They're looking for a new Earth."

"And now they've slipped through the cracks and found one," Pearl finished for him.

"Can't we just do the same thing here?" Sam asked.

The Doctor sighed, the weight of a thousand deaths on his shoulders so tangible, Sam could almost see them. "I can't condemn them to death for something I didn't think through properly the first time," he answered.

"Then what do we do?" Sam asked. He realized he was standing and had no idea when that had happened.

"Well, first, we delete the Karaoke Bar," the Doctor answered.

"Why?" Sam asked, mystified at both the Doctor's answer and Pearl's paleness.

"Because the Silent that was just behind you is there now," the Doctor answered, pressing a series of buttons.

Sam gasped as the Silent appeared behind Pearl. The young woman immediately caught his expression and whirled around.

"I can't believe this is what you guys look like," were the first words out of her mouth.

"What, you didn't see Series 6?" Sam asked.

Pearl shook her head.

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, this is brilliant! Yes!" he cheered.

"Why is it brilliant? She doesn't even know what we're up against!" Sam yelled, afraid to blink in the presence of the Silent.

"Oh, but don't you see? If you don't know how a creature from another universe can affect you, then you simply aren't affected by it at all! Oh, Pearl Rush, you might just be the key to saving this universe!" the Doctor said, also staring at the Silent like his life depended on it.

"What kind of weapon am I supposed to get for it?" Pearl asked, looking at the Doctor but gesturing at the Silent.

"It's white. It's got green spots."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "I'll get whatever I can carry, Doctor," she said.

"Get twice as much as you can carry," the Doctor replied, his steely tone completely at odds with his silly words. "I know you're stronger than you claim."

"You overestimate my abilities, Doctor." Pearl replied. Sam watched, horrified, as the Silent followed Pearl to whatever room she was headed to, shooting an electric beam. He reached for the Doctor's hand, and the Time Lord squeezed it in reassurance.

Sure enough, Pearl continued walking, as if she hadn't even felt anything amiss. As soon as the Silent turned the corner, however, she let out a short scream, then a curse and a self-deprecating laugh.

"Have you ever shuffled across carpet and touched metal?" the Doctor asked suddenly. "Human bodies don't automatically reverse the polarity of-"

"Of the neutron flow, I know," Sam said.

The Doctor looked puzzled. "Neutrons have no charge. You can't reverse the charge of something that has no charge."

Now Sam looked puzzled. "But you say that all the time. Well, your Third self says it."

The Doctor shot Sam a glare. "There's a difference between the show in your universe and my actual life."

"Oh, right," Sam frowned. "I don't know how I keep forgetting that."

"Probably because-ow! Pearl!" the Doctor glared at the woman who had tossed a fairly large gun at him. "Now, you know I don't like."

"Silence, Doctor," Pearl said immediately.

The Doctor straightened and pointed the gun at the Silent that had suddenly appeared just behind Pearl.

He fired.

So did the Silent.

* * *

><p><em>Next time, we see who the Silent shot.<em>

_I am so sorry about how long it's taking me to write, guys. Really, I am. It's just that Season Three sucked so badly, except for a few scenes in even fewer episodes, I've lost my taste for Glee. I might get it back when Season Four starts, but I'm also pretty busy with wedding preparations. So cut me some slack, guys, please._


End file.
